Energy crisis worsens in Marshall Islands

Updated 1 hour 50 minutes ago

The Marshall Islands government is to be urged to declare a state of emergency over the worsening energy crisis.

The Pacific Magazine is reporting the Marshall Islands national disaster committee has approved a report, recommending that cabinet take pre-emptive action before a disaster hits.

Marshalls Energy Company general manager, William Roberts, has told the Pacific News Service if the price of fuel continues to soar, it will put the country back 40 years

He says electricity rates have gone up four times in the past six months and communities are suffering.

A report submitted by two government utility companies says they both expect to face an $US18 million shortfall this year - an amount equal to 15 per cent of the national budget.

see also

http://uriohau.blogspot.com/2007/11/indigenous-rights-in-pacific-basin.html
http://uriohau.blogspot.com/2007/09/nuclear-history-of-micronesia-and.html

Earthquake Near Solomon Islands Sparks Pacific Tsunami Alert

April 2 (Bloomberg) -- An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 hit 45 kilometers (25 miles) off the coast of the Solomon Islands, spurring a tsunami warning for Australia, Indonesia and South Pacific island nations.

The quake occurred at 7:39 a.m. Solomon Islands time, close to the coastal settlement of Gizo, in the New Georgia archipelago. Its epicenter was 345 kilometers from the capital, Honiara, the U.S. Geological Survey said in an e-mailed alert.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert for the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Nauru, Chuuk, New Caledonia, Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands. There were no immediate reporters of damage or casualties.

A tsunami watch extends to Fiji, Guam, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan and Samoa, the center said in an e-mailed statement.

``An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours,'' the center said in an e-mailed statement. ``Authorities should take appropriate action in response to this possibility