Another question to bring up at your next town hall meeting: Are we all OK with the US giving Palau over $20 million for airport improvements to aid their #1 industry, fossil-fueled tourism, and then having Palau sue us because fossil-fuel use is allegedly causing them to "slip beneath the waves"?

Twitter / dbiello: meanwhile, a pacific island ...

meanwhile, a pacific island nation is suing the US to try to stop from slipping beneath the waves... http://to.pbs.org/P5Xmnc  @pbsneedtoknow

Palau

Tourism (and its attendant infrastructure changes) is Palau's main industry. Its major draws are its diverse and pristine marine environment, and its above-water tropical island beauty. The number of visitors--31% from Japan, 35% from Taiwan, 17% from Korea, and 8% from the U.S.--was over 100,000 in 2011, a 13% increase from 2010. Continental Airlines has direct flights to Palau from Guam and the Philippines. Delta Airlines has weekly non-stop flights from Narita, Japan to Palau. Japan Airlines runs chartered flights from Tokyo, and Korean Airlines does the same from Seoul on a seasonal basis.

2008:  Palau airport gets additional US funding

The FAA has provided Palau with over $20 million in grant for airport improvement projects.