Allen Tom, regional director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, told the Rotary Club yesterday that he is just one of the many people tasked to make sure that the residents here “get a sense of what the issues are.”
After the workshops, he added, “somebody from the White House will come over to the CNMI.”
“We are going to listen to the people, not just to one side — we will get their concerns and we will take these different issues into account,” Tom said.
“When we create sanctuaries like this, it’s always controversial and my job is to make everybody understand the program,” he added.
He expects stakeholders to raise questions about “illegal fishing, dumping, and other concerns about the monument”
“That’s why dialogues are needed,” Tom said.
They will also meet legislators, conduct open houses and other awareness campaigns to provide more information to the local people, he added.
The CNMI’s elected officials oppose the proposal.
