The Environmental Protection Agency announced May 19 $9.45 million each in new grant funding to address PFAS and emerging contaminants in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The funding will be will be made available to the Consolidated Commission on Utilities and the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. and private well owners to help with testing, planning, and infrastructure projects addressing PFAS and other emerging contaminants included on EPA’s Contaminant Candidate Lists (e.g., manganese, perchlorate, 1,4 dioxane).
The EPA also announced $6.2 million in new grant funding to find and replace lead water pipes in the NMI.
The Francisco C. Ada International Airport Saipan has been awarded $2.095 million through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminal Program to support improvements, according to King-Hinds.
The funding will help modernize terminal operations through the installation of equipment at ticket counters and boarding gates, improving operational flexibility and reducing passenger wait times for travelers.
The Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Works will receive $1 million through the fiscal 2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill to support improvements to Route 317 (Gualo Rai Road), including roadway safety upgrades, enhanced accessibility, and modernization of drainage infrastructure to help reduce flooding and protect nearby areas, according to Kimberlyn King-Hinds, the NMI’s delegate to Congress, who suggested the inclusion including to her weekly update of May 25. The bill will now advance to the full House Appropriations Committee for consideration before moving to the House floor.
Funded by a $9.5 million competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation secured by the Guam Regional Transit Authority, in April, the Leon Guerrero-Tenorio Administration announced a joint project by GRTA and the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority for the establishment of a new Dededo Park & Ride transit station to take passengers to the University of Guam, Guam Community College and George Washington High School. The route will also make stops at the Barrigada and Mangilao Mayor’s offices, and the Department of Youth Affairs, as well as the Farmers Market and Northern Regional Health Center.
It will occupy a 3.4-acre site deeded to GRTA by GHURA, and located across from the Dededo Farmers Market, which is also close to GHURA housing in the area. mbj
