The US and the Northern Marianas have come to an agreement over the transfer of submerged land around the CNMI's northern islands.
The CNMI governor Ralph Torres said he secured the agreement during a recent trip to Washington DC.
The two sides have been negotiating the transfer of land around the islands within the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument which protects thousands of square kilometres in the Mariana archipelago.
Submerged land rises out of the water to form the CNMI's most northern island of Farallon de Pajaros. Photo: CNMI govt
Mr Torres met the Assistant Secretary for Insular Affairs Esther Kia'aina and the head of NOAA Fisheries, Eileen Sobeck as well as legal counsel over the long-delayed transfer of the land.
The CNMI disagreed with an earlier which would have bound the CNMI to spend large amounts of capital and resources on management plans that federal authorities could ultimately reject.
It would also have allowed the US government to enter the property to determine compliance and revoke the grant at any time.