A decision will be made, in 2008, regarding whether or not President George W. Bush will consider designating a vast ocean area in the northernmost part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands archipelago, including three islands, as a U.S. National Monument.
This study was commissioned in April of 2008 to ascertain, quickly, a profile of the economic benefits and costs of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument in relation to the economy of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.