THE U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources held an oversight hearing on the Fiscal Year 2023 budget request of the Department of the Interior-Office of Insular Affairs at 12 a.m. on Thursday, May 19, Chamorro Standard Time.
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres submitted his written testimony, but did not appear at the hearing.
Also on the witness list were U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., Guam Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, American Samoa Gov. Lemanu Palepoi Sialega Mauga, DOI-OIA Director of Budget Jonathan Dunn, and American Foreign Policy Council Indo-Pacific Studies fellow Michael Sobolik.
U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan of the CNMI, who is vice chair for insular affairs, presided over the hearing. He and the participating governors appeared remotely.
“This hearing is an opportunity for the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs to highlight key aspects of the budget request and for territorial governors to outline their needs and their priorities for the coming fiscal year, as well as provide an update for their efforts to address challenges in their communities,” Sablan said in his opening remarks.
“I understand that Governor Torres of the Northern Mariana Islands is unable to join us today but has submitted his testimony for the record. Without objection, that testimony shall be included in the hearing record,” he added.
Sablan said it was disappointing that Interior Deputy Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Keone Nakoa “is not here to defend his office’s budget. I note that for Governor Leon Guerrero and Governor Mauga…this is the middle of the night for them, which shows the importance that they place on President Biden’s budget priorities for the insular affairs.”
Sablan lauded the Biden administration for increasing the budget for the insular areas to $125.7 million, up $3.8 million from the previous fiscal year.
This includes funding for the Coral Reef Initiative and the Energizing Insular Communities program.
“With rising energy costs and supply chain issues impacting imported fossil fuels, I remain concerned that OIA is not implementing the…program as laid out in [U.S. Public Law] 113-225. The goal is to lower energy costs in the insular areas by developing renewable energy sources and improving grid efficiency. OIA is committed to do better in executing the program requirements. I am committed to maintaining close oversight on this important issue,” Sablan said in his weekly e-newsletter.
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan
