A rear admiral of the US Navy says the concerns of the Northern Marianas community on the military's planned use of Pagan for live-fire training is being taken into consideration by the US Department of Defense.
The Joint Region Marianas commander, Rear Admiral Tilghman Payne, says the military is getting input from the local population and the elected officials on the proposed use of Pagan.
The US military plans to use Tinian and Pagan to meet its unit level and combined level training deficiencies in the Western Pacific.
The CNMI has asked the Department of Defense to split into two distinct environmental impact statement the proposed Pagan and Tinian ranges to prevent the downfall of one range because of the other.
The CNMI looks at developing Pagan as an eco-tourism destination.
