Guam and the CNMI are part of the same archipelago just less than a half-hour away by plane, but when it comes to soaring utility costs, it's a tale of different islands.

Saipan lawmakers slammed by the sticker shock reverberating through residents’ homes. Astronomical increases in monthly power bills -- reflecting the rising costs of global fuel. And how does the NMI compare to Guam? One lawmaker asked Commonwealth Utility Corporation officials at a recent meeting sparked by growing concerns from their constituents.

Rep. Joel Camacho said, "How is it possible that Guam is maintaining a 20-cent kilowatt while we are maintaining a 40-cent kilowatt when we are purchasing the fuel from the same place?"

CUC says no two utility grids are alike when it comes to the islands.

Chretien Voerg, CUC deputy executive director, said, "With Guam, it uses a different type of fuel that is not as energy efficient. It is high sulfur content fuel. The fuel that we are using has a smaller carbon footprint."

Keeping the lights on costs more for your wallet in the NMI, but less for the environment in the long run. But how does it stack up against similarly situated islands in Hawaii?

"Kauai even though it has a significant amount of renewable energy is at 37 cents kWh so that is not far off from what CUC customers are seeing now," he said.

Utility officials say it isn't as simple as using the same fuel as Guam to get power rates lower in the NMI due to EPA regulations.

"We want to be good stewards. We understand that there is an additional cost for this cleaner energy, but there’s benefits to the entire community for staying with this in addition to the regulations in place that require us to use it," he said.