“I was concerned that the commonwealth’s $50 million in unspent CIP grants could be lost to Guam, American Samoa, or the Virgin Islands, under the president’s proposal,” Sablan said.
“Congress has a legitimate concern that grants are used in a reasonable amount of time, so the committee explained in their report that while they did not include the president’s language, they ‘intend to revisit the matter in fiscal year 2013 if expenditure rates have not substantially increased,’ ” Sablan added.
He noted that the Republican-majority Committee also cut funding for territories by $1.7 million from this year’s level.
“That means less money for technical assistance and the maintenance assistance fund. The committee also turned down the president’s request for an additional $2.1 million for programs like geothermal development in the Northern Marianas. “
See pages 47 and 163 of the Committee report at http://appropriations.house.gov/UploadedFiles/FY_2012_INTERIOR_FULL_COMMITTEE_REPORT.pdf.
