OIA Press Releases (2020 to Present)

Interior Releases $3 Million to Help Defray Impacts of Migrants from Freely Associated States to Guam, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa

08/01/2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 1, 2017) – Interior Acting Assistant Secretary Nikolao Pula made available discretionary Compact impact funding in the amount of $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2017, as an additional Federal contribution toward defraying the costs that Guam, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and American Samoa bear due to the presence of migrants from the freely associated states (FAS) of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.  Guam received $1,491,000, Hawaii $1,276,000, the CNMI $231,000, and American Samoa $2,000.

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Interior Provides Palau $5.4 Million under Compact, Other Grants

07/25/2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 25, 2017) – Interior Acting Assistant Secretary Nikolao Pula made available $5,463,578 to the Republic of Palau, most of which is the balance of remaining Compact grant assistance for fiscal year 2017.  Approximately $400,000 is provided through the technical and maintenance assistance programs in the Office of Insular Affairs to help update land surveying and mapping capabilities at the Palau Bureau of Lands and Survey and maintenance training at the Palau Community College for the next three years.

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Interior Provides $1 Million in Grants for Natural and Cultural Resource Protection in the U.S. Island Areas

07/19/2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 19, 2017) – Interior Acting Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas Nikolao Pula has made available $1,003,787 for natural and cultural resource protection in the U.S. Insular Areas.  The funds will support a wide variety of initiatives which include watershed management, GIS skills development, radar monitoring and marine protected areas surveillance, youth education in conservation management, and environmental law-enforcement training.  These projects support sustainable use of natural and cultural resources in the U.S. territories and freely associated states.

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Interior Provides $4 Million to Help U.S. Island Territories Eradicate Invasive Species

07/17/2017

This week Interior Acting Assistant Secretary Nikolao Pula has made available approximately $4 million for several invasive species prevention and control initiatives in the U.S. Insular Areas.  Funding has been provided to continue support in controlling the brown tree snake; to combat infestations of the Lopa tree; to reduce impacts of invasive birds and restore wetland areas; and to combat infestations of the little fire ant.

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