American Samoa	Guam	Northern Mariana Islands	U.S. Virgin Islands	Marshall Islands	Federated States of Micronesia	Palau

First Northern Marianas Member of the U.S. Congress Visits OIA

Pictured in the OIA Conference Room from left to right: Joseph McDermott, Director of Policy; Thomas Bussanich, Director of Budget and Grants; Nikolao Pula, Director of the Office of Insular Affairs; Charlene Leizear, Director of Technical Assistance; Stephen Sander, Legislative Affairs; T.H. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Congressman (foreground); T.H. Joseph Camacho, Floor Leader, NMI House of Representatives.

Washington, D.C. (November 19, 2008) -  The newly elected Member of Congress from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), T.H.Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan visited Nikolao Pula, Director of Insular Affairs, and staff today in the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs. Congressman Sablan was accompanied on the visit by T.H. Joseph Camacho, Floor Leader of the CNMI House of Representatives. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands has been a member of the U.S. family since 1986, however, for the first time in thirty years, the CNMI will finally have a member in the U.S. House of Representatives. Previously, the CNMI had been represented by Resident Representatives, the last of whom was Pete A. Tenorio. More

Enewetak receives U.S. Grant Assistance to support Food and Agriculture Maintenance

U.S. Ambassador Clyde Bishop (right) and Enewetak Mayor Jackson Ading. RMI Official and DOI Field Officer, Al Fowler (right) in background. Photo credit: Ellen Mitchell

Majuro (October 23, 2008) -  Today, U.S. Ambassador Clyde Bishop presented a grant award in the amount of $1,432,990 to Enewetak Mayor Jackson Ading.  This $1,432,990 in grant assistance to the Enewetak Local Government for the Enewetak Food & Agriculture Program is provided through the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs, under the Compact, as amended.  These grant funds will be used to operate a food and agriculture program for the people of Enewetak Atoll including funds for the operation of the Enewetak vessel “Lady E”.  The performance goal of this grant is to provide food to the population of Enewetak Atoll and to rehabilitate the soil of the atoll to support agriculture. More

Secretary Kempthorne: Federal Partnership will Assist
Island Leaders in Strengthening Public Health Care Systems

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne told leaders of the U.S. territories and freely associated states at a Sept. 29-30 Insular Area Health Summit that the federal government is committed to working with them to improve their health care systems, underscoring that commitment with a federal task force to prioritize their critical health care needs and multi-million dollar funding to support on-going efforts. More

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne joins federal and island leaders for a group picture at the Insular Areas Health Summit. From left, Northern Mariana Islands Health Secretary Timothy P. Villagomez; Marshall Islands President Litokwa Tomeing; Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness David S.C. Chu; Secretary of Veterans Affairs James B. Peake; Republic of Palau Vice President Elias Chin; USVI Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen; Secretary Kempthorne; American Samoa Gov. Togiola Tulafono; Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Joxel Garcia; Hawaii Lt. Gov. James Aiona; U.S. Virgin Islands Health Commissioner Vivian Ebbesen Fludd; Federated States of Micronesia President Manny Mori; and Guam Gov. Felix Camacho. [Photo by Tami Heilemann, DOI]