Saipan is the largest island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), which is a cluster of small islands in political union with the United States. The CNMI has about 80,000 residents and rests about about 120 miles (200 km) north of the US Territory of Guam and strategically between the state of Hawaii and the Philippines.
Because of the political union with the United States, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) personnel from Region 9 help monitor issues such as environmental contamination and erosion and provide or propose programs for implementation within the CNMI. Officials from the EPA are currently conducting a mid-year review of CNMI Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) programs for erosion control, wastewater management, brownfields, and more.
Also of note: In mid-June, the 26th Pacific Islands Environment Conference (22-25 June 2009) will be held on Saipan under theme "Climate of Change: Energizing a Sustainable Future for Pacific Islands."
It will bring together environmental ministers, engineers and others from around the Pacific, the US mainland, and the US EPA to discuss strategies, technologies and opportunities.
Chris Kelsey is the editorial director for geosynthetica.net. He can be reached at chris@geosynthetica.net.
