$1m distributed to the Marianas

The Northern Marianas is receiving $1,005,119 in Maintenance Assistance Program (MAP) funds, Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs announced. Grant funds will be used for the following four projects:

·     $492,652 to the Department of Public Works for a stormwater sanitation system;

·     $220,652 to the Department of Public Lands to install safety railings at the Mañagaha Pier;

·     $156,815 to the Rota Department of Fire & Emergency Medical Services for the purchase of a wildland firefighting brush truck and emergency diving equipment; and

·     $135,000 to the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation for water and wastewater certification training.

OIA also announced a MAP grant award of $246,050 to the Yap State Public Services Corporation for the Pacific Lineman Training Program to provide powerline operation and maintenance certification training to linemen from the Marianas, Guam, Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Appropriated annually by Congress to be administered by OIA, the Maintenance Assistance Program promotes and develops institutions and capabilities that improve the operation and maintenance of infrastructure in the insular areas. The program was funded at $4.4 million for FY 2020. The Trump administration proposed cutting that to $1 million for FY 2021, but the House passed the Interior Department appropriation bill on July 10 maintaining the program at $4.4 million.