OIA Press Releases (2020 to Present)

Secretary Zinke Praises U.S. Congress and President Trump for Signing Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act of 2018

07/24/2018

WASHINGTON – U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke praised President Donald Trump who today signed the Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act of 2018, which aims to increase the percentage of United States workers in the total workforce of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands while maintaining the minimum number of nonimmigrant workers to meet the changing demands of the CNMI economy. 

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$2.8 million Provided to Combat Brown Tree Snake

07/18/2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Doug Domenech, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs, this week announced the release of $2,839,632 million in fiscal year 2018 grant funding to suppress and control the brown tree snake, Boiga irregularis, on Guam.  The program also provides for prevention, detection, and rapid response efforts in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Hawaii as well as related research and development.

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Interior Provides $667,000 to RMI to Bolster Water Supplies

07/12/2018

WASHINGTON – Doug Domenech, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs, this week announced $667,000 in fiscal year 2018 grant funding for the Republic of the Marshall Islands.  This year’s funding will provide for two reverse osmosis units and the provision of fresh water for the people of Utrok Atoll, considered one of the driest atolls in the Marshall Islands, and strengthen the management of water and wastewater utilities on Majuro, the capital of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

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Interior Provides $2.3 Million to CNMI

07/11/2018

WASHINGTON – Doug Domenech, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs, this week announced $2,310,326 in fiscal year 2018 grant funding for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

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Interior Provides $1.6 Million in FY 2018 Grant Allocations for American Samoa

07/09/2018

WASHINGTON – Doug Domenech, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs, this week announced $1,648,080 in fiscal year 2018 grant funding for the U.S. Territory of American Samoa.  This year’s funding for American Samoa will support a variety of needs in the territory from developing a disaster recovery strategy for the government financial management system, updating the government employee classification and pay system, improving sites for tourism, and certifying nurses and pharmaceutical technicians.  A portion of that funding, $200,000, will support Centers for Disease Control (CDC) efforts in eradicating the mosquito-borne disease Lymphatic Filariasis from the territory.

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Interior Provides $250,314 in FY 2018 Funding for Micronesian Resource Center One-Stop Shop on Guam

07/05/2018

WASHINGTON – Doug Domenech, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, this week announced $250,314 in FY 2018 funding support for the Micronesian Resource Center (MRC) One-Stop Shop on Guam.  The MRC One-Stop Shop provides orientation services, family support initiatives, and workforce development to migrants from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Republic of Palau (Palau), also known as the freely associated states (FAS), who may travel to the United States to live and work under the Compact of Free Association agreements.

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Interior Announces $827,812 in FY 2018 Grant Allocations to U.S. Virgin Islands

07/03/2018

WASHINGTON – Doug Domenech, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, announced $827,812 in fiscal year 2018 grant funding to the U.S. Virgin Islands.  The funds will serve to provide emergency power back-up for critical facilities, strengthen water and wastewater management, and help protect and preserve historical artifacts.

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Interior Provides $2.5 Million in FY 2018 Grant Allocations to Guam

07/03/2018

WASHINGTON – Doug Domenech, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, this week announced $2,452,082 in fiscal year 2018 grant funding to the U.S. Territory of Guam.  This year’s funding will support a wide variety of needs across the island from scholarships for training in trades, statistics and data, capacity building, utilities maintenance, network security and monitoring.

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Interior Helps Launch Pilot Robotics Program in Palau

07/03/2018

WASHINGTON –  Doug Domenech, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, this week announced $5,913.00 in fiscal year 2018 grant funding to the Coral Reef Research Foundation to support a three week “robotics” program for high school and community college students in Palau this summer.  The program will be led by Kevin Bowen, founder of “Porpoise Robotics”.

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