Former Rep. William Torres, consultant for the upcoming 1st Northern Islands Development Summit, said they have identified other federal and CNMI government agencies that will help jump-start the mayor’s plans.
These include the CNMI Department of Public Lands, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, the local and federal Fish and Wildlife Service, the Commonwealth Ports Authority, the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the local and federal Energy offices, the CNMI Emergency Management Office, the CNMI Department of Public Health, the U.S. military, the Public School System, Northern Marianas College, the Marine Monument advisory council, the CNMI Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs.
Representatives of these agencies will be invited as key speakers at the summit tentatively set for Sept. 13 this year, Torres said.
He said the summit will discuss issues, concerns, possibilities, initiatives and measures regarding the eventual resettlement and economic redevelopment of the commonwealth’s “hidden treasures.”
The summit will help formulate the short-term and long-term actions necessary for the plan’s implementation, which is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars that the CNMI government doesn’t have.
