Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan

Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan congratulated Northern Marianas College and the Commonwealth government for successfully competing for two energy grants from the Department of Interior, worth $658,692. Interior announced the awards this week. Funding comes from the Empowering Insular Areas initiative that Congress approved in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2017, Public Law 115-31.

The Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs announced $36,447 in federal matching funds for 10 technical engineers from power utilities in the Pacific U.S. insular areas, including one from Saipan, to attend the 26th Annual Conference of the Pacific Power Association in Apia, Samoa.

Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan announced today that Pacific Wind and Solar will get $1,359,489 to install solar power systems on Northern Marianas Housing Corporation homes on Rota, Tinian and Saipan, and the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation will receive $382,000 to buy 63 pole-mounted transformers. Congress appropriates the funds to the Department of Agriculture each year to assist areas, such as the Northern Mariana Islands, that have very high electricity costs.