|
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
PRESS RELEASE
(for immediate release – Tuesday, February 26, 2008)
Contact: click here to email newsroom
Office: (684) 633-4116 - Fax: (684) 633-2269 - Cell: (684) 731-8989
Gov. Togiola attends Interagency Group on
Insular Areas meeting at DOI
(WASHINGTON DC) – Governor Togiola Tulafono today attended the federal Interagency Group on Insular Areas (IGIA) meeting chaired by Secretary of the Interior “Pulelei’ite” Dirk Kempthorne.
Joining Governor Togiola Tulafono at the IGIA - a White House-led group that works with island governments to mitigate the impact of federal laws, regulations and policies on the U.S. insular territories in the Pacific and Caribbean - were Governor Felix Camacho of Guam and Governor Benigno Fitial of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Also in attendance were Congresswoman Donna Christensen of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo of Guam and Resident Representative for the Northern Mariana Islands Pete A. Tenorio, Interior Deputy Chief of Staff Doug Domenech and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Insular Affairs Nikolao Pula, who represented the Office of the Secretary and the Office of Insular Affairs, respectively.
Representatives from 15 federal agencies attended, including the Departments of State, Health and Human Services, Energy, Justice, Defense, and Homeland Security and Offices of the U.S. Trade Representative and Small Business Administration.
Governor Togiola said the island leaders addressed a wide range of issues at the meeting with the Interior Secretary, which included boosting community college capacity for training in American Samoa.
“I am very thankful that we were able to address the need for assistance at our American Samoa Community College and the ability of ASCC to accomplish our very important objective of student learning,” said Governor Togiola. “Boosting capacity is the key to making progress in improving student learning and that includes, and not limited to, training and professional development from outside assistance. I wish to express my sincere thanks to Secretary Pulelei’ite Kempthorne for demonstrating his commitment as head of DOI and IGIA to assist us and ASCC.”
Discussion at the meeting also included policies on Earned Income Tax Credit, federal Medicaid and supplemental security income, visa waiver programs, postal rates to the U.S. Virgin Islands, geothermal energy potential in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands and partnering with hospital associations in the U.S. mainland, the planned U.S. military expansion on Guam, health care, and the application of federal immigration, wage and tax laws in the islands.
“The U.S. island territories occupy a critically important part of the world and the patriotism of the citizens there affirms their valued membership in the American family,” said Secretary Kempthorne.
The Secretary visited American Samoa and all U.S. island territories and the Freely Associated States in the Pacific last June and intends to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands in April. While in American Samoa, Mr. Kempthorne was bestowed the chiefly title of Pulelei’ite – “the ruler who can foretell the future.”
---americansamoa.gov---
|
