Previous Story
‘Assess extent of pozzolan first’
|
Posted on Feb 02 2006
Gov. Benigno Fitial wants an assessment of the extent of the CNMI’s pozzolan deposits on Pagan before export operations begin, disclosing that there are at least five investors who are interested in extracting the deposits.
Fitial also said companies engaged in pozzolan extraction should have valid permits. His press secretary, Charles Reyes Jr., said the administrations wants to find out the status of the permit given to J.G. Sablan Rock Quarry Inc.
The local company has tied up with U.S. firm Bridgecreek International Corp. for the pozzolan extraction project, disclosing earlier that export operations might begin sometime this year.
“We need to evaluate what we have in terms of natural resources before we market or sell our pozzolan,” Reyes said, quoting the governor as saying. “We are the owners of that asset. We have a right to know what we have. We want an unquestionable study.”
Reyes said the indigenous people should also be consulted on matters about Pagan and should have an equity in the extraction project.
Pozzolan extraction stands as a new industry for the CNMI, which can potentially generate millions of dollars in private and government revenue. The transition committee for the Marianas Public Lands Authority has underscored the need to reactivate the Pozzolan Task Force and enhance this new industry for the CNMI.
J.G. Sablan president John T. Sablan earlier said, though, that a special trust account would also be created for the Northern Islands municipality, in addition to employment opportunities that the project will create for Northern Islands and other local residents.
The private joint venture assured that it has organized a Legal, Marketing and Compliance team that would provide the design and environmental reports to the Coastal Resources Management Office and other government agencies, to start pre-extraction and mobilization work.
Pozzolan deposits, which are found on Pagan and in only a few other places in the world, are minerals that make a good component in manufacturing high-grade cement. The volcanic eruption on Pagan in the 1990s deposited tons of pozzolan on the island.
