{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://sablan.house.gov/kilili-divert-airfield-negotiations-local-matter", "Kilili: Divert-airfield negotiations a local matter", "2016-02-16", "2016", "2016-02", "Independent", "Senate", "MP", "Gregorio Sablan", "S001177", "sablan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Marianas Variety- U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan said he would respect the negotiation between the CNMI government and the U.S. Department of Defense pertaining to the divert airfield, adding that the issue is a local matter.\n\u201cI have always taken the position that land-use negotiations and decisions between the U.S. Department of Defense and the commonwealth government are a local matter, and I will continue to respect that process,\u201d he said in an email, Tuesday.\nLast week, he added, \u201cLt. Gen. Anthony Crutchfield made it clear that the Air Force decision to locate the divert airfield on Tinian was in response to Governor Torres\u2019 request. I respect that \u2014 both the governor\u2019s request and the Air Force response,\u201d he said.\nOver the weekend, Kilili reported in his e-newsletter that the Air Force included $9 million in its military construction budget request for the lease of 7.1 hectares of land in support of divert activities and exercise initiatives.\nKilili said the land will be identified during negotiations with the commonwealth which is expected to begin this summer.\nHe said based on a Navy real estate survey, the cost to acquire the land by fee is $3.2 million, \u201cbut the Air Force is prepared to lease the property at a higher cost in order to conform to the Covenant agreement to acquire only the minimum real property interest necessary to meet mission requirements.\u201d\nThis $9 million funding proposal is part of President Obama\u2019s FY 2017 budget proposal sent to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday last week.\nKilili said he made the case for the selection of Tinian in his 2012 response to the Air Force Draft Environmental Impact Statement.\nIn his e-newsletter, he said the \u201cdivert airfield will be used for training and will give the Air Force a backup in case planes cannot use Andersen field on Guam. Saipan was considered and the Air Force also looked at dividing its activities between Saipan and Tinian. Specifics of the Tinian-only plan are not yet fully available. I look forward to learning more once the final environmental impact statement is released this spring and I will continue to listen to the voices of constituents and the commonwealth government as the details of the Tinian-only plan emerge.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://sablan.house.gov/kilili-divert-airfield-negotiations-local-matter"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6874189712107182, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}