Tourism
More on Tourism
You may have seen reports about a group of senators calling on the Department of Homeland Security to end the EVS-TAP program in the CNMI. I want you to know that I am paying very close attention to this and do not believe changes to EVS-TAP are warranted based on the facts on the ground.
Saipan and Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds, Governor David M. Apatang, Senate President Karl King Nabors, and House Speaker Edmund Villagomez announced today that they have transmitted joint letters to President Donald J. Trump and Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, outlining the accelerating economic deterioration of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and urging timely federal action.
Last week the White House announced that starting on December 2nd tours will be back up and running. Tours must be requested at least three weeks in advance.
I wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem
Pacific Coastal Research and Planning has been awarded $4,937,010 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to remove 23 abandoned boats and an estimated 40,000 pounds of derelict fishing gear from the coastal environments of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The project will support approximately 60 local marine contractor and project coordination jobs while helping restore biologically rich coastal ecosystems and strengthen nature-based tourism economies in the region.
This week, I had the opportunity to join a discussion on Mariana Islands Conservation Strategy (MICS). The dialogue focused on federal activities in our region, their environmental impacts, and ideas for mitigating those impacts for the people who live here. I appreciated the chance to learn more because this is a nuanced conversation. Yes, we want to ensure activities are mitigated, and the impacts across the Marianas archipelago are taken into account.
Washington – Today, Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds extended her congratulations to President-elect Lee Jae-myung on being elected as the Republic of Korea’s fourteenth president.
U.S. Congressman Troy E. Nehls, R-Texas, supports CNMI Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds’ request to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to address delays in processing electronic travel authorizations under the Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program or EVS-TAP. Tourism in CNMI, still recovering from the pandemic restrictions, has been set back by these delays.