You've got to hand it to those Palauan guys. They have given some thought to eliminating our need for oil to power our generating plants. Such a breakthrough is needed now for the islands and, yes, the world.

The government of Palau has asked the U.S. Trade and Development Agency to fund a feasibility study on an ocean thermal energy conversion, or OTEC, and fresh water production facility.

Wonderful. The letter to the U.S. Trade and Development Agency may wind up in the round file, and was written by Tommy Remengesau, the bright young president of Palau. The idea of converting the deep sea water into energy is not a pipe dream. It could be a reality. The idea does work. OTEC generates electricity by using the temperature differences between the deep ocean and shallow waters.

I, personally, have been an enthusiast about the OTEC method of producing electricity for years. I have followed the successful building of a trial plant in Hawaii, and have wondered: Why the delay in upsizing the OTEC production to a full-scale plant that could conceivably work for all the islands in the Pacific?

Guam, I have long believed, could well become the "Saudi Arabia" of the Pacific because we have deep and cold water nearby. That is the main ingredient for success in OTEC -- deep water, the technology and money.

The OTEC facility is estimated to cost around $250 million, which is more than small islands can afford. Still, if we can produce electricity inexpensively, the next steps are underwater cables between Guam and Saipan or Rota, or a new method to store the surplus of power produced.

Remengesau said that Palau's proposal for a feasibility study is similar to a program the U.S. Navy is currently negotiating for the development of a commercial scale OTEC facility at the American Naval Base in Diego Garcia. The Navy should also be interested in developing a similar plant for Guam where it has big needs for power.

A second advantage in the OTEC device is that some of this cold water piped up from the sea could be converted into fresh water for the island people. Some even claim that this water from the ocean could be used for agriculture and fish farming.

The experts would have to make a judgment as to future needs of the islands, and the costs involved. There are many islands in the Pacific facing the same costs. It must be made sure that such an OTEC plant, if built, won't adversely affect the environment.

Pipes would have to be built to bring the ocean water up 1,000 feet to mix with the warm waters of the surface.

We're not saying that the system will work, but at least it is an idea that needs exploring, so that the many islands of the world can have a workable solution in the future.

Independence

Doesn't the Kosovo mini-revolt give the people of Guam ideas?

I certainly don't favor it, but the idea of independence for Guam has been around for years. Could we afford it? Few think so. Once the idea of a referendum on Guam's political future was going to be advanced, but the activists among us couldn't put it together.

Puerto Rico finds itself in the same boat. It, like Guam, was taken by the U.S. in 1898. Puerto Ricans pay no federal income taxes, but are U.S. citizens. There are about 8 million of them, and many thousands have moved to the U.S. mainland over the years.

The political status issue so dominates Puerto Rico politics that the three main parties have nothing else on their agendas. They traditionally elect a governor who wants to advance the political issue.

One bill, submitted to Congress, calls for a two-stage referendum, the first to be held at the end of 2009, as suggested by the White House Task Force on Puerto Rico's political status. There might be something Guam could learn from this task force.

The idea of any independence seems scary to me right now. We find ourselves unable to close the Ordot dump, to fund the hospital, or improve the school system. They must be chuckling in Washington when we talk about independence, or trying to do things on our own.

I also believe that the U.S. military establishment, a significant force, would look down its nose at any attempt to change Guam' s political status. It pretty much likes things the way they are because it can do a lot now than it might not be able to with a different political status.

But the bottom line is dollars and cents. It would be very interesting to see how much the U.S. now spends on and in Guam. Personally, I would think that our standard of living would plummet with any change in status.