He said two important EPA programs, providing money for water and sewer projects, were cut on Thursday by the Appropriations Subcommittee responsible for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies spending.
But the subcommittee did agree to change the formula for how much money the Northern Marianas receives from these two programs, “so the cuts in our funding were not as deep as they could have been,” he said.
“Both President Obama in his budget and I in my formal requests to the subcommittee asked for 1.5 percent of the water and sewer funds to be set aside for the insular areas. Current law sets aside just 0.25 percent of the Clean Water Fund for the islands and just 0.33 percent of the Safe Drinking Water Fund. The subcommittee slashed the sewer funding by $1.4 billion, or 67 percent. Under current law the insular areas would have gotten only $1.7 million of that. But with the 1.5 percent the president and I asked for, the insular areas will share $10.3 million,” Sablan said.
The picture is similar for the drinking water fund, he added.
“The Republican controlled subcommittee cut $558 million, down 40 percent from last year. Under existing law the insular areas would receive $2.7 million. But with the 1.5 percent formula I lobbied for, the islands will get $12.4 million,” Sablan said.
He added, “We need continued federal assistance to build up our water and wastewater infrastructure to American standards. So while Republicans are cutting EPA funding for these projects nationwide, our best defensive action is to make changes in the formulas that determine how much help we get each year.
Sablan said Republican cuts to U.S. Department of Justice programs will also hurt law enforcement in the CNMI.
The Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, program will be zeroed out in FY 2012, he added.
The Northern Marianas has received $4.9 million from this program since 2009.
Sablan said COPS is just one of many grants the CNMI depends on that the Republican-led House Appropriations Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies cut or eliminated this week.
The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant, which helps our Department of Public Safety, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Public Defender, the Department of Corrections, the CNMI Judiciary, and the Adult Probation Office, took a 30 percent cut, Sablan added.
At-risk youth will be even more at risk with a 75 percent cut in juvenile justice programs, he said.
According to Sablan, the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant, and the Title V Delinquency Prevention Incentive Grants were completely defunded, leaving money only for the Juvenile Justice Part B Grant.
“Especially now with a poor economy and government austerity the Northern Marianas needs federal assistance to keep our communities safe. We all recognize the need to reduce federal spending, but public safety is a primary responsibility of government that cannot be shortchanged,” the congressman said.
The Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies also cut funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“In the Northern Marianas this will have a negative impact on the Coastal Zone Management Program, the Coral Reef Conservation Program, ocean observing systems, fisheries management, and weather surveillance,” Sablan said.
