Mark
Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the
Northern Marianas correspondent
The United States
military has begun the formal environmental review process
for the continuation of large-scale training and testing
activities in waters around the Northern Mariana Islands and
on Farallon de Medinilla.
The Department of the Navy,
including the US Navy and Marine Corpsk, along with the US
Air Force, US Army and US Coast Guard, has prepared a draft
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas
Environmental Impact Statement for the Mariana Islands
Training and Testing (MITT) programme.
The proposal
would allow military readiness activities to continue at sea
and on Farallon de Medinilla, an uninhabited island north of
Saipan used as a live-fire training range.
According
to the draft document, the activities include joint military
training exercises, weapons testing, research and
development, and range modernisation. At-sea operations
would occur within the Mariana Islands Range Complex,
additional high seas areas north and west of the complex,
and nearshore waters of Guam and the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands.
The study area remains
unchanged from the 2020 review. Land-based activities
previously analysed on Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota are not
being re-evaluated in this supplement. The updated analysis
focuses on activities at sea and on Farallon de
Medinilla.
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The draft assesses potential impacts on
marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, fish, marine
habitats, cultural resources and socioeconomic uses such as
fishing and shipping. It examines the effects of sonar,
explosives, vessel activity and other stressors.
The
Navy’s modelling predicts most effects on marine mammals
would be temporary behavioural changes. A small number of
injuries from explosive use are projected for marine species
annually, but no population-level impacts or mortalities are
predicted.
Three alternatives are analysed: a
no-action alternative under which strike warfare training on
Farallon de Medinilla would cease; a preferred alternative
reflecting a representative year of training activity; and a
second action alternative assuming maximum projected
activity annually over seven years.
The notice of
intent to prepare the supplemental environmental review was
issued on 7 June 2025, followed by a scoping and Section 106
consultation period that ran through 22 July 2025.
The
draft document was released on 2 March, triggering a public
review and comment period that runs until 1 May
2026.
The final environmental impact statement is
scheduled for February 2027, with a record of decision
expected in
mid-2027.
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