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Reyes: No settlement of JG Sablan Pagan case
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Posted on May 04 2008
Press Secretary Charles Reyes yesterday denied press reports of a settlement with JG Sablan concerning the Pagan mining permit litigation currently before the Superior Court.
“There has been no settlement of this litigation,” said Reyes. “There are important issues before the court regarding the validity of DPL Secretary John S. Del Rosario’s termination of JG Sablan’s mining permit for the island of Pagan.”
Reyes said he believes the government’s case is strong and that the administration looks forward to the court’s prompt resolution of these legal issues.
Reyes said not only is there no settlement agreement reached with JG Sablan Rock Quarry, Inc., there are not even settlement negotiations between the two parties to the lawsuit regarding the revoked mining permit for non-performance and for numerous permit condition violations.
On Aug. 1, 2006, the Department of Public Lands terminated the Pagan mining permit of JG Sablan Rock Quarry, Inc., for cause and JG Sablan then filed a lawsuit disputing the permit termination later that month. The litigation has needlessly delayed the responsible development and extraction of valuable Pagan resources for the benefit of the CNMI economy.
According to Reyes, the administration looks forward to the court’s prompt resolution of this case, so that the CNMI government can fully maximize the potential of Pagan resources and enter into discussions with the U.S. military about Pagan’s possible military use.[B][I] (PR)[/I][/B]
