Project Notification and Review System (PNRS)

Since 1988, ASCMP has maintained and managed a coordinated system of land use review which involves several American Samoa governmental agencies, each with its own technical expertise and authority over various economic, social and environmental planning concerns. For any development activity proposed within the Territory, a land use permit application is needed.  (These are available along with instructions at the front counter of the DOC office, Executive Office Building in Utulei). The PNRS Board was designed to maximize the effectiveness of governmental services offered by bringing together the collective experience of some 7 or 8 professionals at one time to review application cases. This process of review has also proven to reduce costs as well as save valuable time for applicants and the servicing agencies alike. Compliance Review Officers who assist clients with inquiry and acceptance of complete applications are available to discuss the requirements. A couple of them are a site plan (showing all the proposed work/activity), the activity's l valuable assets and in return, they will continue to care for us.  The following are guidelines for the application process for land use permits:

Depending on your project, there are two processes in reviewing applications. These are:

1.       Minor Permit Applications  The processing of these applications normally takes 3 working days to issue a permit (if information provided is complete and accurate).  Examples of such permits which usually gain favor include: a single family house, a fale Samoa or Samoan guest house, electrical/water hookup, extensions, repairs, and so forth.
All minor permit applications are site-visited by the ASCMP staff for verification of information provided and accuracy of location and project activity.

2.       Major Permit Applications - The processing of these applications normally takes, at a maximum, 45 days to complete. Examples of such, to name a few, are as follows:

a.   Proposals located in sensitive site areas - near a stream, wetlands, on a steep hillside, water recharge area, etc.,
b.   Proposals that require creating, expanding or extending any major commercial activity, and
c.   Government Projects/Federally funded projects.

II. Coordination of the PNRS Board

The PNRS Board meets regularly every first and third Wednesday of every month. These meetings are open to the public and are held for the purpose of reviewing applications and making the decision to pass or deny them.

PNRS Legal Notice and Board Hearing - All applications submitted must first be approved to be reviewed by the PNRS Board. Upon acceptance of an application to be reviewed by the Board, public notification is given. For minor projects, the notice shall remain posted for 3 business days in which time no action on the permit can be taken. For major projects, the notice is posted throughout the process until a decision is made. Furthermore, the notice is posted in a newspaper of general circulation in the Territory at least one week prior to the Boards review. The applicant is given at least seven days notice of the meeting. All notices mentioned above are posted in the Department of Commerce.

Site Visit Agenda  Site visits for all major projects are conducted every Tuesday. Prior to taking action on any land use permit application, a site visit must be conducted and a report made in order to establish the accuracy of the application in terms of location, location in relation to sensitive site areas, project activity, and so forth.

Technical Review  All applications when received are reviewed to determine as to whether the permit should be categorized as a minor permit (with minimal impact to the environment) or as a major permit (with substantial and significant impacts). In the event that and application is deemed as major all of the PNRS agencies will review the application.

BOARD AGENCIES

1. Department of Commerce/American Samoa Coastal Management Program (DOC/ASCMP)
2. Department of Public Works (DPW)
3. American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA)
4. Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR)
5. American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA)
6. American Samoa Historical Preservation Office (ASHPO)
7. Department of Health (DOH)
8. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR)

*Board meetings are held every first and third Wednesday of every month at the Department of Commerce Conference Room, third floor of the EOB, at 9:00am.

 

III. Enforcement and Monitoring

As part of the application process, the site visits also serve the purpose of determining whether or not a project is developing legally. The PNRS Enforcement Officers utilize these visits to ensure that both the surrounding environment and the rights of neighboring families and/or businesses are protected in cases of illegal development of any particular site. In an event in which development is taking place illegally, that is, without a land use permit, a PNRS Enforcement Officer may issue a stop order as a warning to cease development. Upon future visits, if the stop order is violated, a fine may be imposed on the offending party and further legal actions taken.

IV. Public Education and Awareness

The PNRS Board meetings are open to the public and the Board encourages public interest in such matters. This web site was intended for the purpose of increasing public awareness of the services offered by the Department of Commerce, in an attempt to make these services better accessible to the public and more user-friendly.

 For more information regarding these procedures, please do not hesitate to contact Ryan Binns, Environmental Planner, at 633-5155 or by email at RBinns@doc.asg.as