Nov. 26, 2008 — Thanksgiving came early to the Senate Wednesday, as members of the Rules and Judiciary Committee quickly gave their unanimous stamp of approval to six nominees tapped by Gov. John deJongh Jr. to serve on local boards and commissions.
For nominees to the V.I. Coastal Zone Management Commission, balancing the need for more local development projects with the need to preserve the territory's natural resources is a top priority. Sitting on the commission also means not being afraid to make unpopular decisions when it comes to land and water use in the territory, nominees said.
"The first thing I'm going to do is make sure I understand what's on each CZM application," said Richard Brown, whose nomination to serve on the commission sailed through the committee Wednesday. "I think that if you take a look at an application critically, you'll understand that even though a project may be something you really want to do, it might not be a good idea in terms of land use, and it may not be good for the community."
But there is still pressure from the local community to support various development projects, particularly for the island of St. Croix, according to Masserae Sprauve-Webster, whose nomination to serve a second term on the commission also received much support from senators.
"On St. Croix, the economy is rather slow, or non-existent," Sprauve-Webster said. "St. Croix definitely needs a shot in the elbow, and the community is desperately crying out for it at any cost. 'Forget about preservation, forget about the environment, just give us development,' they're saying."
Walking that line between development and preservation is a "tightrope," added CZM nominee Robert L. Merwin.
"The greatest challenge for us is definitely carrying out the mission of the commission, because that mission is so comprehensive and because we have been entrusted to preserve these things while allowing for economic stability," Merwin said. "It's a tightrope — there's no question about it. Politically, economically and socially, these decisions have an impact on all of our lives."
To make the CZM permitting process run a little smoother, there is a need for some of the territory's laws to be updated, he said.
"One concern has been the length of time the application process takes," Merwin said. "Sometimes it's discouraging to some investors, who have also felt that the process is costly, time-consuming and that there are other places they could invest in that would give them a quicker response than our process allows."
Tying the territory's Economic Development Commission program into a comprehensive land-and-water-use plan for St. Croix might help make the application process a bit smoother, he said.
"A land-and-water-use plan has been discussed for many years, but politically has never gone anywhere," Merwin said. "For our island, this kind of plan would be a big help. My thought has always been that St. Thomas is overbuilt, St. John is overpriced and St. Croix is underdeveloped and needs special attention. My focus as a member of this commission has always been St. Croix."
Senators agreed, with some describing the current CZM permitting process as "so archaic and Byzantine that it stifles progress."
It's also important to keep in mind that the length of time to approve a CZM application is needed to conduct a thorough investigation on whether moving ahead with a specific project is really in the best interests of the territory, Sprauve-Webster said.
Merwin's nomination, along with the nomination of Charles D. Peters to serve on the CZM commission, were also unanimously approved Wednesday. The full Senate will vote on all nominations during a session scheduled for Dec. 1.
Protecting the interests of the territory's residents along with local utility companies is really the ultimate goal of the Public Services Commission, said Elsie Thomas-Trotman later in the meeting. Senators also approved her nomination for a first term on the PSC.
Thomas-Trotman will replace Alecia Wells, whose term has expired.
Senators asked Thomas-Trotman why she wanted to serve on the commission.
"I know the job is very challenging, but it's interesting to me, and I like having to mediate or investigate things and come up with an answer," she said. "There needs to be a thorough investigation of utility companies to see where they are and whether they can provide better service. I would like to see the investigation process get a little shorter — like right now, for example, with the ferry-boat companies. Fuel rates have gone down and a lot of people expected that their rates would go down, as well, but we are waiting now for the outcome of a rate investigation, and that takes awhile."
Thomas-Trotman assured senators that her current position as a delegate to the Fifth Constitutional Convention would not affect her ability to serve on the PSC.
Also approved Wednesday were the nominations of Hubert L. Frederick to serve on the PSC and Eric G. Baynes for the V.I. Board of Tax Review.
Present during Wednesday's meeting were Sens. Liston Davis, Carlton "Ital" Dowe, Usie R. Richards, James Weber III and Celestino A. White Sr.
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