Unless a corrective action plan is approved, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has directed ASG not to commence any new land leases for the more than 300 acres of land the American Samoa Government transferred out of the airport without the federal agency’s review, according to the FAA inspection and audit of airport land use.

The report also calls for an assessment of the former site for scrap metal to determine if the area still contains any hazardous materials and urged the removal of the jet fuel tank farm, which currently represents a safety risk.

SCRAP METAL

According to the audit report, the former scrap metal site, located inside airport property, is not yet ready for development, although scrap materials have been removed. It says that a site assessment have yet to be done to determine whether or not it contains any hazardous materials and is in need of remediation.

“This should be done as soon as possible so the property can be declared safe for revenue,” it says. “Thereafter, redevelopment for airport-related purposes will be possible, which can provide a new income source to the airport.”

FAA recommends that ASG formulate a plan to undertake an environmental site assessment to determine what measures need to be taken so it can be prepared and marketed for airport use as it represents a prime area for air cargo development.

According to the audit report, this parcel of undeveloped land can increase the airport’s financial self-sustainability if it can become income-producing.

JET FUEL TANK FARM

FAA also recommends that ASG formulate a plan to relocate the fuel tank farm “as quickly as possible and to seek the cooperation of the American Samoa Petroleum Cooperative with the relocation”.  (The Cooperative oversees operations of the ASG tank farm in Utulei.)

It points out that the jet fuel tank location is not compatible with a safe airport operation environment  and that the current location of the tank farm “represents a risk for people and property” due to its close proximity to the airport parking lot and airport terminal.

The audit also revealed that the relocation of the tank farm has been planned since 1973 with a proposed location for new fuel tanks in the northwest corner of what is now the Industrial Park. Over many years, plans and proposals for relocation have been considered, but none has ever been implemented, it says.

Then in 2004, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration wrote to then Gov. Togiola Tulafono about the urgent need to relocate the fuel tank and “warned that a fuel tank mishap could destroy the area and cause mass casualties during peak travel times” at Pago Pago International Airport. However, still nothing has been done, and the fuel tanks remain in the same place.

Samoa News should point out that one of the ASG infrastructure projects to be funded with the issuance of bonds is the relocation of the jet fuel tanks, which will have a $5 million bond. The site proposed for the tank farm will be in the Industrial Park area.

In his written State of the Territory address last month, Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga says relocation of the fuel tanks will result in the FAA releasing over $50 million to finance the resurfacing of the tarmac and complete the shoreline protection for the runway.

“These funds will generate economic activity for the territory and improve the attractiveness of our international airport,” he said.

FAA CONCLUSION

The FAA says ASG is to provide a reply to the audit report with the proposed corrective action plan and an implementation schedule by Feb. 27 this year.

If the reply cannot be ready by the deadline, ASG is to advise Ron V. Simpson, with the FAA Honolulu Airports District Division, on a suitable new due date.

Simpson had informed Port Administration director Taimalelagi Dr. Claire Poumele that pending FAA approval of the corrective action plan, “American Samoa shall not allow new land uses or lease agreements in the 325-acre property, which includes the Tafuna Industrial Park.”

“Any new proposals must be reviewed by the FAA and determined to be compatible with federal requirements and the corrective action plan,” Simpson said in a letter last month to Taimalelagi.

The FAA land use audit found that ASG was non compliant with provisions of the federal Grant Assurance program for, among other things, transferring — without FAA approval — the 325 acres of land of airport for ASG use without any compensation to the airport.

The FAA now recommends that ASG provide to the airport either sufficient revenues from the 325 acres to make the airport self-sustaining or transfer sufficient land from the 325-acre property to airport control so it can be used to make the airport as self-sustaining as possible.

ASG officials, who asked not be identified, told Samoa News over the weekend that one way for the local government to address this recommendation is to have the annual airport subsidy — which is $500,000 in fiscal year 2015 — labeled as payment towards the 325 acres, instead of transferring land to the airport.

BACKGROUND

Samoa News should also point out there is a pending legal matter for the Daniel K. Inouye Industrial Park which deals with a Fagaima family's claim "to the title of certain parcels" within the park — the family maintains the land was given for ‘airport’ use, not to the local government to use to make money.

As of 2014, the Fagaima family is seeking US$5 million in compensation for certain parcels of land within park, also known as the Tafuna Industrial Park, and the family’s claim to the land has resulted in ASG losing federal funding for expansion of the government owned park, which is overseen by the Commerce Department.

It is unknown if the Fagaima Family’s claim is affected by the FAA’s claim to the 325 acres, which includes the certain parcels of land the family claims.