EPA issues final permit decision for treatment of UXO at CNMI

Honolulu, Hawaii The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided to grant a hazardous waste permit to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Department of Public Safety for storing and treating UXO.

CNMI began the process for a Remedial Action Plan, a unique kind of RCRA permit, in 2006, to address the hazards created by the millions of pounds of munitions and explosives abandoned in Saipan following World War II. The EPA issued a draft Remedial Action Plan in December 2007, followed by a public comment period that closed in January.

In the past, the EPA and CNMI used emergency, short-term measures to address the hazards from UXO. The Remedial Action Plan permits CNMI DPS to store and treat UXO at the Marpi Point open detonation area. The Marpi Point location is about one mile north of the Marpi Landfill.

News source EPA Website.