Military in CNMI avoiding the rules - Pagan Watch

4:38 pm on 17 February 2016

An environmental group in the Northern Marianas says the United States government bodies are shirking their responsiblities to protect threatened species.

They also say there is a pattern of the military attempting to get around the rules.

Eight environmental groups plan to sue the US Navy and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service for failure to comply with the Endangered Species Act.

They said military training has continued while 23 species of plants and animals have recently been listed as threatened or endangered.

Pagan Watch founder, Pete Perez, said it was widely known more species were going to be added to the list, and the military is legally bound to act.

"It was with agreement with US Fish and Wildlife that if any more endangered species were to be declared in the area of their project, which is now 900,000 square miles all around our islands, that they would need to address those endangered species and to look and see what the impacts are to them."

Mr Perez said the military should follow the law like everyone else.