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MAY 7, 2010
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| Babauta meets with Zedkaia Assistant Secretary of Interior for Insular Affairs Tony Babauta visited Majuro this week for the first time since taking over his Washington post recently. He met with President Jurelang Zedkaia and Foreign Minister John Silk on Tuesday afternoon. He also signed two new grant agreements with RMI officials for: • $4.2 million of fiscal year 2010 Compact infrastructure funding that will be used largely for schools and maintenance. • $45,000 for the College of the Marshall Islands to train employees to maintain new equipment at the Majuro campus. 42 years of RMI flights Continental Micronesia was recognized for 42 years of service to the Marshall Islands by the Marshall Islands Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. Businessman Carlos Domnick, representing the executive committee of the Chamber, joined Chamber President Stephen Philip to present a plaque of recognition to David Kendell, Continental’s Director of Sales and Marketing. “We owe much to (Continental President) Charles Duncan and David,” said Domnick. He mentioned the ongoing Continental Micronesia fare discount sale was the “first time we hear of a price decrease,” and praised the Guam-based Continental leadership for its engagement with the Marshall Islands. Pharmacy set to open soon in Uliga MediSource Pacific Inc. will soon open its fully outfitted pharmacy to serve the community of the Marshall Islands. “The uniqueness of our service is that we have a professional pharmacist to give advice on purchase of medications,” said Manager Sandy Alfred. Waratah cranks out new catchments Local company Waratah Engineering Inc. is producing water catchment tanks on island that are being supplied to Majuro homes through the European Union-funded water improvement project. The tanks are being produced in Uliga and hold 1,555 gallons of water. |
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| US Nuclear victims to get $150K each | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US Senator Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) is leading a group of US senators in introducing amendments to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to expand compensation for Americans sickened from working in uranium mines or living near atomic weapons tests. Senator Udall was joined in introducing the legislation by Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mark Udall (D-Colorado), James Risch (R-Idaho), and Michael Bennet (D-Colorado). Companion legislation as introduced in the House by Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico). Among other things, the RECA Amendments aim | to widen qualifications for compensation for radiation exposure; qualify post 1971 uranium workers for compensation; equalize compensation for all claimants at $150,000; expand the downwind exposure area around the Nevada Test Site eligible for compensation to include seven states; and fund an epidemiological study of the health impacts on families of uranium workers and residents of uranium development communities, according a release on Senator Bingaman’s website. “We must never forget the heavy price that thousands of Americans paid during the Cold War arms race,” Udall said. “This bill…ensures |
that those who deserve compensation can finally get it.” Meanwhile, Bingaman (pictured) has introduced Bill 2941 at President Jurelang Zedkaia’s request that does not include any provisions for compensation other than to make Marshallese who worked at Bikini or Enewetak eligible for a US compensation program operated by the Department of Labor. It also would provide $2 million annually for health care for Bikini, Enewetak, Rongelap and Utrik, and calls for a study to identify health effects of nuclear testing in the RMI. This is the same legislation that was originally introduced at the request of former President Kessai Note in 2007. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Wave hello to new technology | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A buoy to measure wave activity around Majuro has been installed on the ocean side of Delap. It is part of project run by Dr. Mark Merrifield of the University of Hawaii and funded by the US National Science Foundation The deployment and processing of the data is run by the Coastal Data Information Program out of the University of California San Diego, said Dr. Murray Ford, who supervises the work in the RMI. The buoy was deployed on April 24 with the assistance of RMI Sea Patrol and Pacific International Inc. The buoy is about located about one mile east of Delap point, but is designed to move around with the current. It has a flashing light on it, which is visible for about a quarter of a mile. It will measure wave heights, the time between waves and sea surface temperature. The deployment of the buoy is part of a larger project, which aims to improve the understanding of flooding events like that which occurred in December 2008, said Ford.“The wave buoy gives us better knowledge of the ocean swell conditions and will improve forecast quality of large swell events,” he said. “The project is also looking at what happens to waves once they reach the reef flat. The amount of wave energy — wave height — which reaches the shoreline is what ultimately drives flooding and erosion.” This summer, research work will be extended to the ocean side area by CMI and also on Kwajalein at Roi-Namur. Fisherman and other mariners will be able to access real-time information on the conditions off Delap and will also be able to access forecasts showing wave conditions over the next three-to-five days. “This is the only wave buoy of its kind in the central Pacific,” Ford said. “This fills a massive gap in data and knowledge within the region providing forecasters, fisherman and coastal planners with an exceptionally valuable tool to better understand our ocean.” He said cooperation of MIMRA, CMI, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US Embassy, Sea Patrol, MALGov and PII made the buoy deployment a success. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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