Tinian mayor Edwin Aldan warns that military activities could devastate ecosystems already threatened by climate change. Photo: Supplied
Tinian residents of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) have voiced urgent concerns over potential environmental and cultural damage from a major United States (US) military training plan during a series of tense public meetings last week.
At a packed gathering inside the Tinian Junior/Senior High School cafeteria, Tinian mayor Edwin Aldan issued a stark message to visiting military officials: protect the islands' fragile environment, be transparent with the community, and ensure local people benefit economically from the US Indo-Pacific buildup.
"Don't mess around with our environment," Aldan told attendees, warning that military activities could devastate ecosystems already threatened by climate change. He called for rigorous safeguards and community-driven monitoring.
The mayor also demanded honesty, saying CNMI residents are frustrated with what they see as vague or contradictory statements from military planners.
He pressed for concrete commitments to hire local workers and award contracts to local businesses so the islands' struggling economy-still recovering from the pandemic-can benefit.
Noise pollution, potential destruction of cultural sites, and the threat to traditional livelihoods, like farming and ranching, emerged as top worries among community members at meetings held on Tinian, Saipan, and Rota.
Environmental fears dominated the discussions, with many residents worried about irreversible harm to coral reefs, native wildlife, and ancestral lands.
Multiple speakers pleaded for an extension to the current 75-day comment period on the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement (RDEIS), saying more time is needed for communities to digest the thousands of pages of technical documents.
Community engagement itself was fraught, with protestors from Prutehi Guåhan and Marianas for Palestine highlighting the lack of a public forum-at least after Day 1 of the public meetings on Tinian.
Some protestors connected the Marianas' planned use for military training with ongoing violence abroad. "This is a suicide drone that is being used in Gaza right now," said Abed Salam Castro Younis of Marianas for Palestine. "To support using these death tools here on our homeland, tainting our beautiful image-I'm here to fight against that."
Marine Corps Forces Pacific executive director Mark Hashimoto closed the meeting by assuring residents that the new RDEIS reflects significantly more community input and stricter environmental safeguards than past proposals.
The public comment period on the RDEIS runs through 20 August.
