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06/25/2025—Noise pollution appeared to be one of the concerns in the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the CNMI Joint Military Training during the second public meeting held last June 25 at the Tinian Junior/Senior High School Cafeteria.
Retired educator Cora Cepeda said she’s worried about the noise pollution from military planes caused by the increased training activity of the U.S. Department of Defense
“Especially my place is where I think it's near where those aircraft training [happens] sometimes and it's shaking my house, you know. It's not all the time, but it's really disturbing,” she said.
Cepeda described the noise as a six or seven in a scale of 10, with 10 being the highest, and that it almost always happen during daytime. She’s also concerned that the noise pollution emanating from the military planes may have an effect on learning as it may cause a distraction to school children.
When asked what was the response of the authorities on her noise complaint, the Marpo Valley resident said, “they told me that it's not that much noise because [it’s] not all the time where, you know, they're doing that training.”
Cepeda also expects military training on the island will only increase following President Donald J. Trump’s decision to hit the nuclear facilities of Iran.
Tinian resident Bill Cing agreed with Cepeda, saying that military aircraft flying over the island’s airspace will probably create a lot of noise.
“Jet fighters create a lot of noise and at one time, there was a sonic boom that actually damaged some windows, some doors, and animals went wild. I guess that rarely occurs, but of course, the noise is a concern.”
He added that DoD should also help the municipality with its infrastructure needs, specifically the building of a landfill.
Joanne Merrick, an artist based on Tinian, said she actually experiences some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder whenever she hears planes flying above.
“The noise, for me, is one of the big barriers because I hear the jets go over, and I'm actually a person that deals with PTSD. When I hear the jets, it kind of takes me back, and I have that kind of issue,” she said, while adding that it especially concerning if one of the military jets break the sound barrier above Tinian.
Merrick said she left Oregon to live the tranquil island life in the Marianas, one that would probably change with increased military training.
She said another concern is relocating Tinian’s dumpsite and suggested that wherever the government places it to make sure the roads are paved.
Meanwhile, another Tinian resident, Matthew Masga, is also concerned with the noise pollution, but added that another issue he thinks about is the future of deep bottom fishing, spear fishing, and cliff fishing due to the expected increase in military training.
“I think most of the time [areas for these types of fishing will] be closed because it's not only the Marines who are coming in to use those facilities. Of course, we see a lot of red zones also between Saipan and Tinian [on the Revised Draft EIS].”
Masga said another concern is Tinian’s lone aquifer and how it will continue to supply the island’s fresh water needs following a potential increase in population.
Like Day 1 of the public meeting on Tinian, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific executive director Mark Hashimoto shared the story of a 14-year-old girl who made her feelings known when DoD presented the first Draft EIS to Tinian residents in 2015.
“She got up and she spoke in [her native] language to the folks from the U.S. DoD and what she said was, ‘this is not your island. This is my island.’ Then she switched over to English, and she said, ‘if you crumple up a piece of paper, you can never flatten it out and make it look like it did before you crumpled it up.’”
Hashimoto said what the 14-year-old girl said had a big impact on the discussion about the Revised Draft EIS.
“I wanted to express gratitude to the Tinian delegation and the members of the community for continuing to work with us to build a world-class training area that will work for everybody. I also wanted to express gratitude to members of the community for reinforcing the principles of your culture and your community and showing us the strength of those aspects. Because what that did is it constantly reminded us of the connectedness of this place,” he said.
Hashimoto then requested those making comments to not only point out their concerns, but also provide the good points of the Revised Draft EIS.
The second day of public meeting on the Revised Draft EIS on Tinian also saw Tinian Middle High School social studies teacher Rory Starkey and members of his class attend.
“I teach social studies and like I share with my students, social studies is the study of people, both past, present, current and future and that's what we're talking about right now is a current issue that deals with the community's present and future and we're just learning from what's going to be presented today and hopefully we'll walk away with a little bit more of a better understanding of what's being presented,” he said.
The U.S. Marine Corps published a Notice of Availability for the Revised Draft EIS in the Federal Register on June 6, 2025. The Revised Draft EIS evaluates the potential environmental effects associated with the Proposed Action. The public and interested parties are encouraged to review the information and documents provided on its website and participate in the EIS process.
Public comments on the Revised Draft EIS and potential effects to historic properties pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act will be accepted during the 75-day public review and comment period from June 6, 2025, to Aug. 20, 2025.
Aside from the June 23 and 24 public meeting on Tinian, three more public meetings are scheduled on Saipan and Rota.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 | Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan (Hibiscus Hall) at 5 pm
Thursday, June 26, 2025 | Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan (Hibiscus Hall) at 5 pm
Friday, June 27, 2025 | Rota Mayor’s Office, San Francisco de Borja Highway, Tatachok, Rota at 3 pm
Report by Mark Rabago and Thomas Manglona II
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