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Taisakan pushes for feasibility study on Pagan
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Posted on May 15 2004
A feasibility study on pozzolan mining at Mt. Pagan needs to be carried out first before any permit is issued to any company, said Northern Islands mayor Valentin Taisakan.
“I think it’s but proper to have a feasibility study before any awarding of contract is made. We want to know the real quantity of pozzolan and the viability of the project. Right now, we don’t have our own data,” said Taisakan.
He said it is one issue that he will bring up with the Marianas Public Lands Authority, which has so far received two mining project proposals.
He said reports about the 200 million metric tons of pozzolan, a rare kind of volcanic ash, are nothing but claims by a private company.
“The government doesn’t have its own study. How do we ever know if these figures are correct or not,” he said.
A proposer, Azmar International has cited that based on its previous research in the area, there is an estimated 200 million metric tons of pozzolan that can be mined on the island for over 40 years.
Taisakan also reiterated his position for the immediate termination of the license of an existing commercial mining operator over its reported violation of contract terms.
The mayor earlier said that he was “not very uncomfortable” discussing mining opportunities at Mt. Pagan with foreign investors “while the permit (with J.G. Sablan) is still active.”
In an interview Thursday, Taisakan said he is not particularly against J.G Sablan. He said the permit clearance is necessary even as his office aims to seek a grant from the Department of the Interior for the conduct of an economic feasibility study of the pozzolan and basalt on Pagan.
The mayor earlier cited findings from the Office of the Public Auditor indicating that J.G. Sablan “is in serious breach of the terms and conditions of the permit agreement for many years now.”
J.G. Sablan, however, has communicated recently with the MPLA board, expressing its interest to continue the project.
MPLA has also received a mining proposal from Texas-based Consolidated American Energy Resources Inc.
MPLA said it is taking due diligence in reviewing the proposals to ensure the success of the project.
