June 22, 2023 — More than 1,200 StarKist Samoa cannery workers have signed a petition, which voices their opposition to the federal proposal for marine sanctuary designation for the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PIRA) — a move that would expand the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument (PRINMM).
Cannery workers displayed their opposition during a public meeting on the proposal held last month at the Tauese P.F Sunia Ocean Center in Utulei, as they joined ASG and others in the territory to oppose the federal plan.
The four-page petition, along with other public comments, was released recently on the federal portal (www.regulations.gov), which shows that as of yesterday morning nearly 6,000 comments have been received.
June 2 was the final date for comment submission and no new information is available on expanding the comment deadline as requested by Gov. Lemanu P.S. Mauga to the U.S Commerce Secretary.