August 6, 2004

The Honorable Juan N. Babauta
Governor
Office of the Governor
Caller Box 10007, Capitol Hill
Saipan, MP 96950

Dear Governor Babauta:

On behalf of the members of the United Northern Mariana Islanders Association (UNMIA), I would like to wish you a warm Hafa Adai and Tirow.

Governor, the purpose of this letter is to add our enthusiastic support of your efforts to kindly request the Interior Department’s assistance in prioritizing funding to pay for monitoring devices in the Northern Islands sooner, rather than later. For many years now since Mt. Pagan erupted in May 1981, the former residents have waited to be returned home, but were told that safety was the paramount reason for the Government’s reluctance to re-open resettlement on Pagan Island. Since then, we have been asking our Government leaders to prioritize this issue so that safety for all residents as well as those who wish to explore commercial ventures in the Northern Islands can be safely and adequately monitored.

Thank you, Governor, for taking the initiative to finally address this issue in a meaningful way. We appreciated the presentation that Dr. James Quick gave to our organization, courtesy of Mr. Rudy Pua, Executive Director of the Emergency Management Office, and your office. We feel that Anatahan’s recent activities, as well as Pagan’s re-awakening, pose very serious threats to the safety of our citizens as well as our environment. We were also alarmed to learn of the hazards that our flying public and military face without the aid of such monitoring devices.

Governor, please do your best to enlist Ms. Gale Norton’s assistance in helping the CNMI secure the $7 million needed for the installation of the monitoring devices and the $500,000 needed annually for maintenance now. We strongly believe that safety is and should be of paramount concern. Thank you for this opportunity to address this very important issue.

Sincerely,

Cinta M. Kaipat
President
UNITED NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDERS ASSOCIATION

Cc: The Honorable Lt. Governor Diego T. Benavente

Thomas A. Tebuteb, SAA

Rudy Pua, Director, EMO