TINIAN Mayor Edwin P. Aldan is hoping that the administration or the federal government will foot the bill for cleaning up super typhoon waste and debris that have burned to a crisp on Tinian.
“Eventually the [government] will have to 100% fund everything,” he added.
Then-acting Gov. Jude U. Hofschneider in late June signed Executive Order No. 2022-09, declaring a major disaster and state of significant emergency arising from the burning of the super typhoon waste and debris site on Tinian.
Executive Order No. 2022-09 states, “On June 19, 2022, a grass fire started on the island of Tinian. This fire spread and grew in intensity until it reached a location where waste and debris from Super Typhoon Yutu was being sorted and stored for disposal. Much of the waste and debris stored at the site included ‘white good’ waste, e-waste, tires, batteries and other debris that contained toxic chemicals dangerous or otherwise unhealthy for humans.”
According to the EO, “This fire on Tinian has been contained and extinguished, but it has caused noxious smoke and fumes to drift throughout neighboring residents, remaining a threat to their health. In consultation with the CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office and other agencies, the acting governor believes that a declaration of major disaster and a state of significant emergency is warranted, and has authorized the secretary of Finance to be able to access, reprogram, or transfer funds from accounts of executive branch departments and agencies, including autonomous or independent entities to fund the containment, mitigation, and remediation of the threat to the health and welfare of the people of Tinian.”
Mayor Aldan said the municipality is tapping into U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funds.
“I’m very thankful for them,” he added.
The mayor said the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Region IX Office is also trying to identify funds for the debris cleanup.
Edwin P. Aldan
