In its citizen-centric bureau report to the Office of the Public Auditor, Special Assistant to the Governor for Military Affairs Glenna SP Reyes said the U.S. government has appropriated $316 million for the development of the Divert Activities and Exercises Program on Tinian.
She said the development and implementation of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center or PTAC in fiscal year 2021 will increase capacity of local entrepreneurs to become successful in Department of Defense contracting opportunities.
The center will engage local stakeholders and become a central repository of information to strengthen local access to federal resources and opportunities for growth alongside DoD-related activities, she added.
She said the CNMI, however, must also respond to the wide-ranging impacts mentioned in the voluminous and technical Environmental Impact Statements and proposals provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.
These proposals, the bureau said, can affect the environmental, cultural, historic and economic resources of the CNMI for generations.
The CNMI, however, has limited opportunity to respond within the National Environmental Protection Act comment period framework, she said.
Nonetheless, the bureau stated, it “will continue to seek more opportunities to expand the technical capacity of the CNMI government to adequately address the concerns of the people and to seek benefits within the CNMI’s partnership with our nation’s military.”
Among the key initiatives of the bureau in 2021 is connecting “CNMI tourism infrastructure, sites, and accommodations to find a new tourism market among service members and families stationed in the region, potentially unlocking tens of thousands of new tourist arrivals to our islands’ beaches, sites and amenities.”
