Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan
AT his request, U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan said the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations has directed the U.S. Navy to report on the Tinian Port Joint Area Development Plan.
In his e-newsletter over the weekend, Kilili said rebuilding the Tinian port “is a long-standing goal” of the people of the island, “but justifying that expense is key to unlocking the millions of dollars needed.”
Kilili said the U.S. Navy has already acknowledged the critical importance of the Tinian Port Joint Area Development Plan.
“Appropriators now want to know more specifically the major and minor construction projects under consideration by the Navy to support port operations, the design options to maximize training capabilities, coordination efforts with the Commonwealth Ports Authority, and actions the Navy can take to accelerate the port projects,” he said.
These instructions, he added, are included in the report that accompanied the fiscal year 2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies funding bill that the Appropriations Committee marked up on Thursday last week.
He said the bill is the first of the 12 fiscal year 2025 appropriations bills to clear the committee and now heads to the U.S. House floor for consideration.
Variety learned that construction supplies and equipment for the military construction on Tinian are arriving on two large ships next month.
Tinian Sen. Frank Q. Cruz said during a recent meeting with military officials, one of the concerns he raised was the risk of accidentally bringing invasive plants or animals into the island.
He recommended that once the construction supplies arrive at Tinian port, “we have to make sure that all the regulatory agencies have representatives on site to monitor that unloading of the supplies.”
