Op-Ed: Proa’s Promise: Why the Marianas Need Digital Rights, Renewable Power and Food Sovereignty Now
While Washington debates budgets and war games, people in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) are worrying about groceries, rebuilding homes and keeping the lights on. In April the U.S. Department of War acknowledged that the CNMI faces mounting fiscal strain and warned that economic instability in the islands could undermine America’s strategic posture in the Indo-Pacific. A month later, the Saipan Chamber of Commerce braced residents for a 20-hour workweek as the government struggles to stretch a FY2027 budget of just $101.9 million, leaving only $101.9 million for appropriations after fixed obligations. The CNMI’s precarious economy, still reeling from Super Typhoon Sinlaku and the lingering impacts of pandemic era tourism collapse, is threatening not only livelihoods but also the very infrastructure that supports U.S. power projection in the western Pacific.
Op-Ed: The Marianas at a Crossroads — Militarization, Extraction, and the Illusion of Partnership
The people of the Marianas are once again being asked to participate in a familiar process: review the documents, attend the meetings, submit comments, and trust that our voices will shape decisions that will profoundly affect our ocean, our lands, and our future.
Guam Governor Reaffirms Opposition to BOEM Deep-Sea Mining Expansion as Area Closes to 46 Miles from Shore
HAGÅTÑA — Guam Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero and Lieutenant Governor Joshua F. Tenorio are reaffirming their opposition to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s deep-sea mining proposal after the agency announced it was effectively doubling the potential lease area to include seabed west of the Marianas archipelago — bringing the mining zone as close as 46 miles from Guam’s shores.
The Marianas Had a Lot to Say This Week
It was one of the busiest news weeks in recent memory for the Commonwealth, with federal policy, economic development, military affairs, politics and community all competing for the front page.
BOEM Recommends Doubling Deep-Sea Mining Area Around CNMI to 69 Million Acres
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has recommended moving forward with deep-sea mining leases covering approximately 69.1 million acres of ocean surrounding the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, nearly double the area originally proposed in November 2025.
Marianas maritime heritage mapping team returns to present community ocean maps at American Memorial Park
SAIPAN — A team of researchers and local advocates will return to the Marianas this month to present the results of a community-driven maritime heritage mapping project that engaged more than 100 residents across Saipan, Tinian, Rota and Guam last year.
Op-Ed: The CNMI Must Organize Now on Deep Sea Mining
Recent reporting highlighted by Angelo Villagomez of the Center for American Progress and published in the Guam Daily Post should concern everyone in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
BOEM slides from Capitol Hill meeting detail offshore mineral leasing review process
Saipan — Presentation slides shared during this week’s meeting between federal officials and local environmental professionals provide a clearer look at how the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is approaching the early stages of a possible offshore mineral leasing review affecting waters tied to the CNMI and Guam.
BOEM outlines next steps in CNMI offshore mineral leasing review during Capitol Hill meeting
Saipan — Federal officials from the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management met this week with local biologists, scientists, and career environmental staff in the Governor’s Conference Room at Capitol Hill, where they outlined the status of the federal offshore mineral leasing review for waters tied to the Commonwealth and Guam.
Tenorio tells federal officials Guam opposes accelerated undersea mining plans in the Marianas
Hagåtña, Guam — Acting Governor Joshua F. Tenorio said Thursday that Guam strongly opposes proposals to accelerate permitting for undersea mineral exploration in waters surrounding the Marianas, telling visiting federal officials the island is not interested in serving as a test case for rushed policy decisions.