A partnership between the US Coast Guard and the RMI Environmental Protection Authority is focusing on cleaning up now-closed LORAN stations around the Marshall Islands.
The collaboration also confirms the United States recognition of a bilateral priority area for action.
RMI leaders expressed interest in future joint efforts, including environmental initiatives like cleaning up highly toxic PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) from former US Coast Guard LORAN stations, alongside continuing maritime law enforcement training to bolster RMI’s capabilities in maritime security and environmental protection.
The US Coast Guard operated LORAN (Long Range Navigation) stations across the Marshall Islands including at Majuro and Ebeye/Kwajalein for decades as part of its Pacific navigation network.
These stations are now decommissioned but have left behind a legacy of potential PCB contamination from old electrical equipment, transformers, and infrastructure, requiring environmental survey and remediation.
“The LORAN station survey assessments in Majuro and Ebeye are part of this broader framework,” said the EPA in a social media post about the recent visit. “The US acknowledging its environmental obligations under the Compact of Free Association, and RMI EPA working to identify contaminated sites for proper remediation to protect community health and the environment in these densely populated island communities.”