CNMI OPD Project Updates: April-July 2022
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CNMI Solid Waste
- OPD strengthens ties with Guam EPA and attends CIS 2022
- CNMI delegation takes part in EPA-hosted Zero Waste Training
- Tinian receives BECQ permits for transfer station, green waste facility
- CNMI’s ASADRA-funded solid waste infrastructure project for Marpi Landfill Cell 2 is moving forward
- Smart, Safe Growth (SSG) Training: July 19-28, 2022
OPD Broadband Project
- OPD holds first Broadband Public Listening Session
- CNMI to be part of two NTIA digital equity programs
- OPD engages with Community Pillars Program partners
Garapan Revitalization Project
- GRP holds outreach event; groundbreaking slated for Aug.-Sep.
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OPD strengthens ties with Guam EPA and attends CIS 2022
From April 3 to 10, representatives of the CNMI Inter-Island Solid Waste Management Task Force were in Guam to share information with the Guam Environmental Protection Agency (Guam EPA) and to learn more about Guam’s sustainability efforts.
For the first part of the week, Team OPD alongside staff from the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ) and the Department of Public Works (DPW) learned more about Guam EPA’s rules and regulations and toured various solid waste sites in Guam to support Zero Waste planning initiatives and projects underway in the CNMI.
Later in the week, Team OPD attended the 2022 University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability, which featured many guest panels and sessions focused on sustainability, the environment, and more.
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CNMI delegation takes part in EPA-hosted Zero Waste Training
From May 2 to 5, a CNMI delegation comprising several government agency heads, their teams, and elected officials were in San Francisco, California, to attend a Zero Waste training facilitated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 (EPA Region 9).
As part of this training, the delegation was given first-hand examples of the Bay Area’s efforts towards achieving Zero Waste through presentations by local organizations and EPA Region 9; a walking tour in downtown San Francisco to learn more about the city’s sustainable built infrastructure; and touring various recycling, composting, and repurposing facilities in the Bay Area.
For the CNMI delegation, the Zero Waste training in San Francisco was invaluable as a means of giving first-hand experience to what is possible after several decades of work towards achieving Zero Waste in California.
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Tinian receives BECQ permits for transfer station, green waste facility
On June 23, the transfer station and the green waste facility on Tinian were permitted by the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ).
Tinian’s newly permitted facilities support ongoing work in the CNMI towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
Under SDG #12, as found in the Comprehensive Sustainable Development Plan (CSDP), goals for the CNMI include developing an integrated solid waste management plan by 2025 and by 2030 diverting at least 50% of the CNMI’s recyclable waste away from landfills.
The CSDP and more details on the SDGs can be found here.
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“A critical milestone”— CNMI’s ASADRA-funded solid waste infrastructure project for Marpi Landfill Cell 2 is moving forward
On July 18, 2022, the Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) completed interagency review and approved land clearing, excavation, trenching, use of heavy equipment, backfilling, and construction as part of the Marpi Landfill Cell 2 rehabilitation project.
With this clearance from DFW, the Marpi Landfill Cell 2 rehabilitation project will be the first Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act (ASADRA)-funded solid waste infrastructure construction project moving forward on Saipan.
“I want to thank [contractor Micronesian Environmental Services LLC] for going through the permitting process and I wish them a successful implementation of this project”, said DFW Director Manuel Pangelinan.
“The issuance of this permit is a critical milestone for ensuring that the CNMI can continue to properly dispose of waste materials that cannot otherwise be diverted from the landfill. Thank you to everyone who made the issuance of this permit possible”, said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 ASADRA Lead and Disaster Recovery Coordinator for the CNMI Michelle Baker.
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Smart, Safe Growth Training: July 19-28, 2022
From July 19 to 28, OPD led a Smart, Safe Growth (SSG) Training that was centered on helping environmental practitioners, project managers, and developers incorporate sustainable practices into their plans and projects.
The training was facilitated by OPD and Nimbus Environmental Services, who authored the SSG Guidance Manual for the CNMI, and was sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The training was separated into six modules. In Modules 1 to 4, training attendees learned what SSG is and its benefits to the CNMI, explored the relationship between SSG and the Comprehensive Sustainable Development Plan (CSDP), and walked through the contents of the SSG Manual.
The lessons learned in the previous modules were put into practice in Module 5: Train the Trainer. As part of Module 5, training attendees learned about best management practices on how to train colleagues on SSG and were given the opportunity to teach back material from the previous modules to fellow attendees and the trainers.
Module 6 was a hands-on tutorial of a web-based SSG evaluation tool through ArcGIS Survey123 that asks users a variety of questions in line with applicable principles to gauge a project’s compliance with SSG. The evaluation tool’s intended users include government agency staff such as planners, designers, and regulators, government legislators and officials, and private sector developers. Work to integrate the tool into the CNMI government’s EnerGov system is ongoing.
The Guidance Manual for Smart, Safe Growth for the CNMI can be found here.
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OPD holds first Broadband Listening Session
On May 23, OPD held its first Public Listening Session at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center. During the session, CNMI Broadband Lead Peter Dresslar presented how OPD is engaging with its local and federal agency partners, local institutions, and the community. After the presentation, those in attendance were encouraged to ask questions and give comments.
The broadband project is a project of OPD in partnership with the Office of Information Technology (OIT) under the CNMI Department of Finance (DOF).
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CNMI to be part of two NTIA digital equity programs
On June 3, Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres declared the CNMI’s intent to participate in two National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) digital equity programs: the State Digital Equity Planning Program and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
In these declaration letters, Torres named the CNMI Office of Planning and Development (OPD) as the recipient of and administering agent for any award from these programs. Grant funding through these programs will support OPD’s current work to, among other efforts, ensure that all CNMI residents have usable and affordable internet access for all CNMI residents by 2030.
Looking at the CNMI-Broadband project as a whole, OPD Director A. Kodep Ogumoro-Uludong spoke on the importance of being “extremely conscious” in engagements with federal and local partners.
“My team has been extremely conscious about staying engaged with our federal partners at the National Telecommunications and Information Agency, and that has carried over in one case from our Broadband Lead Peter Dresslar having prior experience coordinating on NTIA projects”, said Ogumoro-Uludong.
“Additionally, OPD has directed the broadband team to pay close attention to its partnership with the Department of Finance’s Office of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Clifford Aldan. Between OIT’s active feedback and our engagement in the community, I believe we are just beginning to see the positive results of the OPD approach”.
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OPD engages with Community Pillars Program partners
As of June, OPD has formally engaged with over twelve agency and institutional partners for the planning of broadband and broadband-related activities as part of the Community Pillars Program.
The Community Pillars Program is designed to help public institutions in the CNMI expand their internet access; provide public access to the internet for their constituents and local area populations; and develop capabilities to further serve the public using high-speed internet access.
Participating institutions will work with OPD to develop tailored plans for their communities which, once realized, will serve to extend internet access and services to villages across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Over the coming months, OPD will help to finalize these plans, identify common solutions, and recommend funding for eligible plans.
Additional details of the project will be announced during upcoming Internet Public Listening Sessions on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The OPD Community Pillars project will release announcements of final project submissions and first phase award recommendations in September 2023.
OPD's Community Pillars Program partners include the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation (CHCC); Department of Community and Cultural Affairs- Division of Youth Services (DCCA-DYS); CNMI Indigenous Affairs Office (IAO); Joeten-Kiyu Public Library (JKPL); Mount Carmel School (MCS); Northern Marianas College (NMC); Northern Marianas Housing Corporation (NMHC); Northern Marianas Humanities Council (NMHC); Northern Marianas Technical Institute (NMTech); Office of the Mayor of Tinian and Aguiguan (MOTA); Rota Mayor’s Office (RMO); and the CNMI Youth Affairs Office (YAO).
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Garapan Revitalization Project |
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GRP holds outreach event; groundbreaking slated for Aug.- Sep
On April 14, the Garapan Revitalization Project team held a community outreach event at the American Memorial Park Visitor Center to give project updates and to open the floor for discussion with Garapan Core stakeholders.
In an interview with local media partners after the April 14 event, CNMI Office of Planning and Development Deputy Director and Garapan Revitalization Task Force Chairman Christopher A. Concepcion shared that the team expected project A&E to reach 100% in May and to break ground for construction sometime between Aug. to Sep.
Work that is part of the revitalization project includes:
- Repairing and repaving streets
- Maximizing on-street parking
- Opening up Paseo De Marianas and turning it into a hybrid street and event space to allow for festivals and community events, and
- New sidewalks, curbs, landscaping, street lights, bike lanes, and shared streets.
The Garapan Revitalization Project is made possible through an $11.2 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).
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CNMI Office of Planning and Development
CNMI Office of the Governor
(670) 488-1221
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