“I am very pleased that the U.S. military considered the island of Rota for their activities,” he added.
Hocog said he is confident that the U.S. military is capable of protecting the natural environment on Rota.
U.S military officials have assured the CNMI that they have developed programs to look after the environment while conducting its training activities, Hocog added.
Last Friday, Pacific Fleet program manager Ed Lynch told lawmakers that operational training activities will be conducted on Rota as part of the Mariana Islands Range Complex.
Lynch, a retired military official and lawyer, said the armed forces will ensure that natural resources, including endangered and threatened plant and wildlife species, will not be disturbed by military activities.
The operational training will include hostage crisis rescue operations, undercover operations or surveillance, fighting in urban areas, evacuating civilians during a war or natural disaster, preventing terrorist activities, and protecting troops while they are in combat situation.
Lynch said they will use the public and private lands on Rota in coordination with the mayor and owners of the private properties.
He said the military exercises will be controlled by federal regulatory agencies.
“We have to get permit from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the open ocean issue and the U.S. National Wildlife Service for terrestrial operation,” he added.
Lynch told Variety that residents on Rota should not worry about the impact of the training on their island because “U.S. laws are your guarantee that we will do our job without ruining the environment.”
The training on Rota will be held at least twice a month, he said, but its frequency may increase depending on the kind of training that may be urgently needed.
“If we don’t need the training we won’t do it,” he added.
For the Mariana Islands Range Complex, Lynch said, the U.S Navy has prepared an Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement to study current and future training activities.
The impact statements will help the military to protect the unique environment of the Mariana islands during the proposed training and testing activities, he added.
As part of the process of drafting the environmental impact statements, a public hearing on Rota will be conducted on Feb. 26 at Sinapalo Elementary School.
Rota community members are asked to submit their comments.
The 45-day comment period started on Jan. 30 and ends on March 16, 2009.
