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Must complete landfill financing by June 30

By Dionesis Tamondong

HAGÅTÑA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, June 2, 2009) - The government of Guam's finance team is scheduled to be in New York City this week to try to secure bond financing for landfill projects. The court-ordered deadline to secure that funding is by June 30.

Finance officials will be meeting with prospective solid-waste bond investors. They aim to have a bond purchase agreement signed by Thursday, according to a schedule submitted by the Guam Economic Development Authority to the U.S. District Court of Guam.

The local government is attempting to borrow $202 million for the solid-waste projects. The bonds would be repaid by customer fees, but backed by federal Section 30 funding Guam receives each year.

While the local government aims to have the landfill bonds issued by June 18, it's also applied for a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and loan for those same projects.

In a...

CNMI UTILITY WON’T MEET ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS EPA order not being met due to lack of funds, staff

By Haidee V. Eugenio

SAIPAN, CNMI (Saipan Tribune, June 2, 2009)—The Commonwealth Utilities Corp., is unlikely to meet the federal stipulated order deadlines because of lack of funding and staff, according to Bruce Megarr, deputy director for water and wastewater.

Megarr reported this yesterday to the Public Utilities and Infrastructure Committee chaired by Rep. Tina Sablan in the Senate chamber.

In March, U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson signed the stipulated order that sets requirements and deadlines for CUC to meet.

The order represents the agreement between the CNMI and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency based on the requirements of the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. The stipulated order also provides a roadmap for providing improved water and sewer services in the CNMI.

Megarr said CUC...

Editorial

The National

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (June 1, 2009) – Art, in the form of statues, totem poles, pottery, paintings, etc, appeals to the senses in its sweetest romance or makes bold statements of belligerence.

Among the gamut of statements it makes can be one of political hope.

Like the one said by the 31-year-old French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi: "I will try to glorify the republic and liberty over there, hoping that I will one day find them back here."

His consuming passion became the creation of a "work of profound moral worth," and he drew inspiration from the stone monuments of Egypt, the Colossus of Rhodes, a 76-ft copper statue of St Charles Borromeo in Arona, Italy.

The young Bartholdi was speaking of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the French people for America’s centennial in 1876.

His work was put together in a Paris workshop and then shipped to New York where it became a symbol of hope for...

Editorial

PNG Post-Courier

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (June 1, 2009) – Fifteen people are dead.

And their deaths will have a profound impact on their loved ones for their lives were cut short suddenly. Many of their friends are fighting for their lives at the Port Moresby General Hospital’s intesive care unit.

Those killed or injuried were from one of the nastiest road accident, ever seen on the Hiritano Highway in the Central Province on Saturday. The collusion between the two PMVs, we are told, happened because one of the drivers was trying to avoid the potholes on the Highway and had gone over to the wrong lane. In the words of Police commander in Kerema, Inspector Ruben Giusu, there are "crater-like potholes starting from Bereina to Malalaua and at the corner where the accident occurred is worse" and "this road although built in 1997 does not even look like it is more than 10 years old". Inspector Giusu told us that he had informed the Works...