Policy and Purpose

Policy and Purpose. (a) The legislature declares that it is the policy of the Commonwealth: (1) To affirmatively protect the right of each person to a clean and healthful public environment, as guaranteed by N.M.I. Const. art. I, § 9; (2) To establish and enforce environmental standards to protect and preserve the marine resources of the Commonwealth, in implementation of N.M.I. Const. art. XIV, §1; (3) To protect vigorously the environment of uninhabited islands of the Commonwealth, thus furthering the purposes of N.M.I. Const. art. XIV, § 2, which requires that they be maintained as uninhabited places and used for cultural and recreational purposes, and for preservation of bird, fish, wildlife, and plant species; (4) To afford special consideration to the environmental quality of places and things of cultural and historical significance to contribute to the protection and preservation thereof, in implementation of N.M.I. Const. art. XIV, § 3; (5) To maintain optimal levels of air, land, and water quality in order to protect and preserve the public health and general welfare; (6) To assure that necessary or desirable economic and social development proceeds in an environmentally responsible manner in order to promote the highest attainable quality of life for present and future generations; (7) To preserve, protect, and improve the aesthetic quality of the land, water, and natural resources of the Commonwealth in order to promote the beauty of the Commonwealth for the enjoyment of its residents and visitors; and (8) To protect the people of the Commonwealth from physical, mental, and emotional harm that may be caused by excessive levels of noise. (b) It is the purpose of this chapter to implement the policies set forth in subsection (a) of this section through the clarification of responsibility within the Commonwealth government for environmental protection and through the establishment of a sound legal basis for the development and implementation of environmental plans and programs, and for the issuance and enforcement of rules, regulations, orders, standards, and permits relating to the preservation, protection, maintenance, and enhancement of the quality of the environment of the Commonwealth. Source: PL 3-23, § 2.