UXO on Tinian remains a significant concern

07/09/2025 - The U.S. Department of Defense appears to have a comprehensive plan to clean up unexploded ordnance on Tinian—but only for the firing ranges identified in the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

“If you take a look at their plans, and I think they’re going to show it over there at the range complex, they actually have a very, very comprehensive SOP [standard operating procedure] in terms of how they’re going to handle the cleanup of the ranges,” said Allan Perez, chief of staff to Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan, in a recent interview with Marianas Press.

He added that while the U.S. military won’t be dropping bombs during upcoming training exercises on Tinian, the issue of unexploded ordnance on the island remains a significant concern, especially within the training ranges.

“We still have a lot of unexploded ordnance on North Field, and if they’re going to use that area, then obviously they’ll have to send the right people to clean it up. But as for the new exercises, none of them will involve bombs. Still, there’s no plan yet for cleaning up unexploded ordnance up in North Field,” Perez said.

For his part, Aldan explained that when it comes to unexploded ordnance outside of Department of Defense-leased lands, Tinian will have to rely on programs like the Brownfields program and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

“If it’s outside the military-leased area or within the one-third [leased by DoD], they’ve referred us to other agencies that are supposed to remove those, like the Brownfields grant and another grant we’re supposed to apply for. They’re directing us to those folks because they’ve had conversations with them that if the municipality applies for these grants, it should be entertained,” he said.

The Brownfields grant is funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help communities assess, clean up, and revitalize properties with potential or actual contamination that hinders redevelopment.

Meanwhile, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, enacted in 1976, is the primary federal law governing the disposal of solid and hazardous waste in the United States. It provides a framework for managing both hazardous and non-hazardous waste, aiming to protect human health and the environment.

While the exact total number of unexploded ordnance on Tinian is unknown, it remains a major concern due to the island’s history as a World War II battleground. Various ordnance, including bombs, projectiles, and other munitions, have been discovered and safely detonated.

Unexploded ordnance is regularly discovered and disposed of by the U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. For example, in November 2022, about 50 lbs of World War II-era unexploded ordnance—including U.S. and Japanese projectiles, grenades, and small arms ammunition—were safely disposed of.

Report by Mark Rabago