The United States military says a consultancy firm needs to be more specific in criticism of its draft environmental impact statement on live fire training in Northern Marianas.
The Marine Corps' Pacific executive director, Craig Whelden, says the consultancy, Dentons, which was hired by the CNMI Government to review of the impact documents, is too broad in its comments.
He said if Dentons thinks the military is not complying with the National Environmental Policy Act, they should tell them what exactly they're not in compliance with in the draft statement.
Mr Whelden also contested one major concern rasied by Dentons, which had said the military had not examined enough alternatives.
In the contrary, he said, the military went through three years' worth of study before deciding on the CNMI as the site for live-fire training.
Mr Whelden says it is not exactly sure how Dentons came to the conclusion that the military did not look at all the alternatives.