A call for due diligence

This is an open letter to Gov. Juan N. Babauta Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente, Sen. Luis Crisostimo, Sen. Joseph Mendiola, Northern Islands Mayor Valentin I. Taisakan, MPLA executive director Henry S. Hofschneider, MPLA chair Ana Demapan-Castro, MPLA deputy commissioner Frankie Eliptico, MPLA legal counsel Ray Quichocho, and MPLA board members Manny Villagomez, Nicolas Nekai, and Benita Manglona.

Hafa Adai and Tirow.

Each of you is either a supporter of Kenneth James Moore’s dubious mining company Azmar International, or a decision maker who will determine whether or not a permit will be granted to Mr. Moore giving him the right to strip-mine the Northern Island of Pagan. This letter is to remind you of your responsibilities as representatives of the interests of the people of the CNMI and protectors of the land. Here are some of the facts regarding Mr. Moore’s proposal:

*Azmar International wants a permit that gives them 93 percent of an estimated $120 million in revenues per year from strip-mining Pagan and only 7 percent is to go to the CNMI. That’s $149 million a year for Azmar and $11 million for the CNMI.

*Azmar International has no mining experience.

*Azmar International has not offered any kind of detailed operational production plan and has not conducted an environmental impact study.

*Strip-mining Pagan involves using dynamite and heavy equipment to scrape solid ash deposits off the surface of the land. It has been estimated that this activity would go on for 50 years. The infrastructure required to strip-mine Pagan includes housing, feeding, supplying and disposing of the waste of hundreds of workers on a tiny island.

*Landing/loading facilities would likely mean the destruction of Pagans freshwater lagoon and adjacent black sand beach.

*The nature of the mineral deposits and their potential value has never been independently investigated by the CNMI government.

*Azmar head Kenneth James Moore is no friend of the CNMI. He is best known for having illegally removed WWII artifacts from Alamagan in 1999.

*Azmar International is described by Kenneth James Moore as the money making arm of The Azmar Foundation, a non-profit corporation that is supposed to be building a World War II museum. Mr. Moore has publicly stated that he intends to use money intended for the Azmar Foundation to fund his mining venture. It is disheartening to know that the prospect of ruining the beautiful and pristine environment of Pagan for a mere and unguaranteed $11 million dollars a year is even under consideration. That isn’t even enough money to clean up the mess when Azmar is through.

Don Farrell, local representative for Azmar International, was asked what would happen to Pagan’s beautiful black sand beach near the village. “Will that be turned into a commercial harbor?” His response was “I can’t speak officially on this because I really don’t know the answer. However, your guess seems logical to me. The question we have to ask ourselves and CNMI citizens [is this], is the loss of the black sand beach equal to the millions of dollars in revenue it will create for the citizens of the CNMI? “ Well I’m asking you what is a black sand beach worth? What do you think it would cost to create one? Do you share Don Farrell’s viewpoint on the value of our ancestral lands?

There is some debate as to the true value of the volcanic mineral deposits on Pagan. If the value of an estimated 200 million tons of pozzolan is compared to fly-ash, the lowest grade of pozzolan on the market that sells for $30-40 per ton, it could be worth at least $6 billion dollars. Pagan’s pozzolan, however, is said to be of a much higher grade. Some high-grade pozzolan products sell for up to $800 per ton. Plus, fly-ash production is not expected to keep up with worldwide demand.

If there is indeed a fortune in the volcanic mineral deposits on Pagan, doesn’t it make sense to approach it carefully, know its value and use only qualified companies that know how to protect the environment to mine it? Does it make sense to give the mining rights away to a pseudo-mining company like Azmar International for pennies on the dollar? Have you any idea what a strip-mined island looks like? Take a good long look at Nauru island. Take a look at the pozzolan rock quarry at Xylokeratia, on the Greek island of Milos. Don’t look for lush green landscape look for empty holes in solid rock.

There are hundreds of displaced Northern Island residents who are longing to return home to the simple life that they knew. These people essentially lived off the land. Can you imagine life on Pagan with the continuous sound of dynamite and heavy equipment in the background, with the surrounding waters polluted with human waste and soil runoff? Today Pagan abounds with wildlife and the waters teem with fish. Ayuyu are abundant and finihi can be seen flying high in the sky. Can you not imagine what it would be like to take your children to see such a place—to see the land and waters of the Marianas as their ancestors knew it? Do you not feel the urge to protect this last Chamorro and Refalawasch frontier from ruinous and selfish exploitation? Surely your sense of pride in your land will never allow the rape of Pagan to occur under your watch.

Pot Fabot Protehi y isla Pagan! Protehe y tano-ta! The people of the CNMI are watching.

Peter J. (Pangelinan) Perez

Gualo Rai, Saipan and San Francisco, California

For more information on the mining threat to Pagan island, please see the PaganWatch page at: http://www.chamorro.com/pagan