March 25th, 2010

Remarks of the Honorable Anthony M. Babauta
Assistant Secretary of Interior for Insular Areas

Southern High School Visit
Tour of alternative energy project (Windmill Site) and introduction of Executive Order for creation of Stakeholders for Renewable Energy

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Thank you for inviting me to the beautiful Southern High School, home of the Sting Ray.  It is always great to be home, where the weather is warm, the ocean pristine and island folks hospitable.  Washington has been very cold this winter, reaching record lows.  So you can imagine how mahalang I get to return to our tropical islands.

I sincerely appreciate this opportunity to meet with you all.  I am also grateful to the Governor for joining me during this visit. Governor Fitial and I have decided that we will meet again, after our NREL meeting in Golden, Colorado, to continue our efforts to provide our islands the best tools to take advantage of the benefits that can be derived from the use of alternative/renewable energy.  I find that our meeting here fits the occasion. Southern High School should be proud for having innovative school officials who dreamed and made it possible to showcase the school's project on alternative energy.  I heard about your project; I have come, and now I want to see.

With the rising cost of imported fossil fuel and the challenges that we all face with our ailing economy, now, more than ever, must be the time to be vigilant in our quest to energize our islands with our own natural resources.  Our ancestors did it without the modern technologies that are accessible today.  They navigated our vast ocean with far less.  I am confident that with existing technologies in alternative energies, we have greater opportunity to prevail in making the best choice to harness the benefits from our sun, our wind , our ocean and our land.  Hopefully, in not too distant future, we will be able to remove our dependence on the use of imported fossil fuel.  I want to inform everyone that our collective efforts have the support of the Administration.  Secretary Salazar's first Secretary's Order identified the production, development and delivery of renewable energy as a top priority for the Department of the Interior. 

I thank the school's principal, Mr. Craig Garrison, and his staff for making this meeting and tour possible.  I am excited about the tour and look forward to learning about your pilot project on alternative energy. Last, but not least, I thank the students for joining us today.

The Governor and I have been to Golden Colorado, our nation's prime laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research, to learn how to initiate comprehensive renewable energy plans.  I know that some territories have begun work on their plan; some with NREL's assistance.  I commend those who have already taken the initiative.  I want to support and to build on your efforts and to empower you to further progress. 

We hope that your strategic plans will be community-based, for without the buy-in from local constituencies, the product will be less than it can be, and your island will not own it as it should.  As challenging as that may be, it is crucial to do so.  If all have played a role, the chances of implementing those plans will be greatly improved. 

We all understand the importance of good planning.  When it comes to renewable energy, we all know that many of our island leaders are frequently approached by vendors of renewable energy systems and products, some of which require substantial investments.  By having a comprehensive, well-thought-out plan ahead of time, island leaders will be able to make the best possible evaluations and decisions regarding such investments.  This rational approach can help ensure that any investments made will have the greatest impact on reducing the islands' almost total dependence on expensive and sometimes insufficient fossil fuels.  Limited resources are a reality.  There is never enough money.  Thus it is very important that we optimize our limited resources by deploying the most appropriate renewable energy technologies for each of our Pacific territories. 

NREL cannot recommend specific vendors, but it can assist our island leaders to establish the needed specifications to meet their individual needs and to help their staff develop comprehensive RFP's.   Should our island leaders need the assistance, NREL can help them review bids and ensure that they get the best products/systems to meet the communities' needs. 

NREL offers the tools and resources to help island governments go from the assessment stage to the planning stage and to the implementation stage. Indeed, not only do they have a toolbox of possible solutions, but in some cases they can also help evaluate several types of financing, including different forms of grants and how to create public-private partnerships. 

As elected leaders and government employees, we need to work together to create the plans that will have the support of our respective local communities and have continuity beyond our tours of duty.  The reality is that these plans may well take longer to implement than any of our careers. 

There is much that we can learn from islands which are already working on their renewable energy plans such as Hawaii, New Zealand and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the last with its new EDIN program.  When I was in Golden Colorado, a couple of weeks ago, I was very impressed with the Director of Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, who described Hawaii's Clean Energy Initiative.   With NREL's support, Hawaii State Government aims to transform its islands into a world model for energy independence and sustainability.  The goal is to meet 70% of Hawaii's energy needs by 2030.  To reach those goals, Hawaii will focus on reducing energy use through efficiency while developing their indigenous renewable energy resources.   No doubt there is much that we can learn from Hawaii's efforts.  In fact, our island leaders may like to make a trip to Hawaii in the not-too-distant future to learn first-hand from that effort and to tour some of their projects. 

When we began planning the meeting in Golden Colorado, I decided that we must gather the stakeholders in one place.  That meeting was comprised of elected leaders, utilities, educators and Federal partners.   

• We had the Governors, who have the power to initiate, to lead and to drive the planning process.
   
• We had the heads of the local energy agencies/companies, which are invaluable components in the planning process and perhaps, even more importantly, in the implementation of those plans to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
   
• The heads of the Post Secondary academic institutions which educate and train the future work force in each of the territories were represented during that meeting.  We need them to look to the future and to plan their curricula to support renewable energy and energy efficiency on their islands.  Real, appropriate and enduring change is virtually impossible without effective education.  I was particularly proud of the efforts of Doctor Underwood, President of the University of Guam, who has established a UOG Green Initiative and is working to establish a Pacific regional center for alternative energy education that will educate the Chamorro and Micronesian youth of tomorrow. 

The Governor and I are aware that CNMI, with its diversified natural resources, has a great potential to take advantage of the services offered by NREL.  We are confident that, with proper planning and genuine commitment to implement those plans, we will succeed.  We intend to make it our legacy that our islands go green to keep our lights on.

Dangkulu na.  Si Yu'us Ma'ase