Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said Gov. Benigno R. Fitial will sign into law House Bill 16-130 once the Legislature transmits the official copy.
The House of Representatives and the Senate held back-to-back sessions on Friday to rush the passage of H.B. 16-130 which requires the Marianas Public Lands Trust to lend CUC at least $3.4 million.
MPLT is the investment arm of the Department of Public Lands whose funding comes from public land leases.
Of the amount, $1.5 million will go to the U.K-based Aggreko International Power Projects Ltd.; $1.1 million to Pacific Marine and Industrial Corp. which manages Saipan’s Power Plant 4, and: $800,000 for Telesource CNMI Inc. which runs the only power plant on Tinian.
According to Reyes, “the governor thanks the Legislature for earmarking funds for much needed temporary power generation capacity, as well as for CUC’s obligations to Telesource and PMIC. The temporary power generation should enable CUC to take its engines off-line and work on fully rehabilitating the engines.”
He added, “This bipartisan effort should lead to consistent and reliable power for Saipan and Tinian. The additional generators will also support the airport and give [the Commonwealth Ports Authority] time to repair its generators and install a new one with federal funds.”
Aggreko must get an initial payment of $1.2 million and $504,000 a month for the generators it will bring to Saipan.
Senate vote
By a 5-0 vote and 1 abstention, the Senate on Friday passed H.B. 16-130, House Draft 1.
Senate President Pete P. Reyes, R-Saipan, Sens. Joseph M. Mendiola, Covenant-Tinian, and Paterno S. Hocog, R-Rota, were absent.
Sen. Luis P. Crisostimo, D-Saipan, was the only senator who abstained after saying that the power rates might go up as a result of the bill’s enactment into law.
“Who would pay for this? Even if we lease [the Aggreko generators], we still have to buy fuel. We can’t fix the [CUC] problem by a band-aid solution,” he added.
House vote
In the House, six members voted against the bill’s passage: Reps. Edward T. Salas, R-Saipan, Francisco S. Dela Cruz, Covenant-Saipan, Tina Sablan, Ind.-Saipan, Heinz S. Hofschneider, R-Saipan, Rosemond B. Santos, R-Saipan, and Joseph James N. Camacho, R-Saipan.
Reps. Ray N. Yumul, R-Saipan, and Ralph DGL. Torres, R-Saipan, were absent.
Sablan said the Legislature was “fast-tracking” the bill’s passage.
“There is no transparency in the process,” she added.
According to Sablan, CUC has to explain how it can pay back MPLT.
