Pagan mining and the environment

An environmental impact report is a standard requirement in local, state, and federal development of land in the United States. The rationale for EIRs stems from the fact that development, e.g., residential, commercial, and industrial, must not take place at the expense of the destruction and degradation of the environment.

EIRs will provide the telling story on what the consequences of development will be, whether positive or negative. Should an EIR report clearly substantiate that the negative ramifications of development outweigh the positive ones, then the officials (generally city councils, county supervisor, planning commissions and boards) will issue a “thumbs down” in terms of approving it.

Regardless of what a company or business thinks about protecting the environment, there cannot be any pragmatic development or alteration of land geography without having an EIR in place. The reason for an EIR is relatively simple: Once an environment is altered, developed, and/or exploited, it can never be retrieved.

The island of Pagan is extremely small. And because of the small size of the island, it would not take very long for most, if not all, of the geographic surface of the island to be destroyed due to extensive mining activity. After the mining activity ceases, what will be left of the island?

The mining of pozzolan on Pagan is not akin to “cutting down a million trees in the Pacific northwest and turning right around and replanting them.” The destruction of the island geography is, for all intents and purposes, irreparable and cannot be recovered once destroyed. Proponents who are concerned about preserving the environment of Pagan, e.g., PaganWatch, do not espouse the indiscriminate annihilation of the island geography because of the motivation to make money by certain companies.

In 1995, a mining permit was issued to J.G. Sablan allowing the company to conduct mining activity and extract pozzolan from Pagan. Prior to the permit being issued, was there an “Environmental Impact Report” requested and/or generated to ascertain if the mining that Sablan would conduct on Pagan would have a negative impact and be detrimental to the overall environment (water, air, land) and any inhabitants residing there?

If an environment impact report was never generated, then the island community would not be able to see what the consequences of years of mining on Pagan would be. Moreover, if an EIR was never produced, then the irreparable damage to the environment could take place and measure to prevent this destruction from happening could not be taken.

If an EIR was produced, then the MPLA should make the document public since the issue involves “public lands.” Refusal to produce a public document like an EIR will demonstrate that there is no concern for the environment, or that politics were allowed in the decision-making of an authority that is presumably “an autonomous agency.”

Unless an EIR is generated, the island community will never know what has actually transpired during that 10-year timeframe since J.G. Sablan obtained its permit.

EIR’s must be generated by qualified individuals with credentials and their cost can be exorbitant. The cost of the report is typically absorbed by the organization that wishes to be involved with residential, commercial, and/or industrial development.

If an EIR indicates a problem with the development plan, the organization that paid for the EIR cannot recoup the cost of the report if the information in the report portrays the development as something less than beneficial to the community.

An EIR is an extremely important analysis that should be looked at seriously by the individuals involved with making major decisions regarding land management. Since the content of the analysis cannot be overshadowed with “politics,” then any EIR’s produced should never be “rubber stamped” and approved unless they can validate that the overall environment will not become unstable due to the development.

The question that must be posed so that any further destruction of Pagan can be mitigated is: “If an EIR was never produced and submitted by J.G. Sablan, can the company pay upfront for the formulation of the report prior to the submission of a renewal of his permit that he has had for a decade?”

The other question that must be posed is: “Can the Azmar organization, or any organization for that matter, pay upfront for the formulation of an Environmental Impact Report prior to the submission of their application for a permit, should J.G. Sablan not continue with mining activities of pozzolan on Pagan and, at the same time, provide all required documentation validating their financial status and disposition?”

There should never be a blatant disregard for the environment because it ensures “a balance” that will benefit a good quality of life for people who comprise communities. When the environment is destroyed indiscriminately because of pecuniary motives, then there will not be a balance and the quality of life will not be as good as it could be.

Dr. Jesus D. Camacho
Delano, California