Caution urged on Pagan mining operation

A petition started by Northern Island residents calling for the Senate to pass a bill suspending mining activities on Mt. Pagan was submitted to the Legislature yesterday bearing 600 signatures from members of the community.

The group, headed by Cinta and Gus Kaipat, arrived at the House of Representatives to endorse the petition, which was later transmitted to Senate President Joaquin G. Adriano for his consideration.

According to Kaipat, the petition gathered at least 600 signatures and more will be coming in as members of the 6th CNMI Youth Congress continue to sign up supportive community members.

“We are expecting more. We are looking for 1,000 votes in support of this. This petition would show that the Mt. Pagan mining issue is not a regional issue since it affects the entire CNMI. With this, we hope to urge the passage of the bill that is now at the Senate,” said Kaipat yesterday.

House Bill 14-204, titled Pozzolan Extraction Act of 2004, which was recently introduced and passed in the House of Representatives, is now with the Senate and up for deliberation when the upper chamber meets.

The bill, authored by House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial, aims to suspend any new pozzolan mining activity on Mt. Pagan for lack of a comprehensive study. It said that a comprehensive assessment of pozzolan mineral extraction will ensure that the Commonwealth will receive a fair share of the revenue from the activity and that the potential risks to the environment posed by the mining will be reduced, if not eliminated.

It said that the bill does not block mining pozzolan; it merely provides for a short period of time to verify the quality and quantity of pozzolan and investigate its marketability.

The bill, which also calls for the creation of a task force, wants the task force to determine the qualification requirement of persons and companies applying for permits to extract pozzolan, set permitting procedures, set a fee and royalty schedule, and ascertain potential risks to the environment for mitigation.

“The CNMI risks nothing by allowing a short period of time to protect our resource, its value, and our environment. We have nothing to lose but 90 days by educating ourselves about this tremendously valuable resource,” said the group. “We will never have another opportunity like this one. We will never have another Pagan.”

Yesterday, Kaipat and Speaker Fitial were scheduled to meet with Adriano. The meeting was rescheduled later in the afternoon since the Senate President was meeting with business leaders on Tinian.

Kaipat reiterated that they are not opposed to mining on Pagan as long as it is done properly, following a complete inventory and assessment of the island’s assets, “to ensure that we know exactly what the CNMI is selling and provided that the CNMI secures the best deal among competing bidders rather than sole-sourcing to a questionable company.”

Also, she stressed that the CNMI should ensure that any proposed mining would not unduly harm the island’s environment and that a comprehensive environmental impact study be conducted first.

Kaipat also disclosed that Northern Island residents are receiving support from environmental and cultural groups on Guam, Hawaii, and the mainland U.S. Radio Australia has even contacted the group for more information. The group is pleading with the CNMI’s leaders to consider their concerns and act with prudence and caution.