By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
GOVERNOR David M. Apatang and other members of the CNMI government panel will meet with their U.S. counterparts via videoconference at 8 a.m. today, Wednesday, to pick up where they left off in the consultation pursuant to Section 902 of the Covenant.
In an interview on Tuesday, the governor said they will continue the discussion from the last meeting in February, when the CNMI and U.S. panels tackled critical issues such as budgetary support; tourism and transportation; access to labor; and ongoing activities in the Marianas related to the military build-up in the Pacific region.
The governor said every one of these issues “is important for us here.” He added, “This time, we are concentrating on how we can get help with the power issue,” referring to the planned increase in the fuel adjustment charge that the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. will raise “due to continued increases in global oil prices.”
In an emergency meeting last week, the governor, Senate President Karl King-Nabors, Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, and Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds discussed the CUC plan and its impact on ratepayers.
In her eNewsletter, King-Hinds said, “What we heard from CUC was serious. As many of you know, a portion of your CUC bill reflects the cost of fuel.” She added that if rates are not adjusted, “the stability of our power system is at risk,” and if they are, families and businesses will immediately feel the impact in higher bills.
For the continuation of the Section 902 talks this morning, Governor Apatang said he will be joined by Finance Secretary Tracy B. Norita, Special Assistant for Management and Budget Vicky Villagomez, Commonwealth Ports Authority Board Chairman Bart Jackson, CPA Executive Director Esther Ada, and representatives from the CNMI private sector.
During the last consultation in Washington, D.C., the governor and his team emphasized the need for immediate federal regulatory changes and financial support amid the Commonwealth’s fiscal crisis. The governor stressed that the CNMI “does not need a handout from the federal government; it needs a hand up.”
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
