The Northern Marianas has been given nearly $4 million US dollars for a cleanup of leftover military chemicals and ordnance from the Second World War.
The United States Congress has allocated $2.6 million to assess and remove unexploded ordnance in Marpi on the island of Saipan, which has been eyed for commercial and residential development for several years now.
The US military used Marpi immediately after the capture of Saipan during the war.
It was used to store thousands of tons of ordnance for the impending invasion of the Japanese mainland.
$985,000 will be used to clean up a former hospital dumpsite now the site of a golf course.
A study will determine the extent of contamination and whether there is any risk to human health.