By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

THE lawyer for PaganWatch yesterday asked the Marianas Public Lands Authority to release all its records on JG Sablan for inspection.
PaganWatcg earlier raised concerns about the joint-venture agreement between JG Sablan and Bridgecreek International Inc. to extract pozzolan from Pagan.
Attorney Matthew Smith said last year they also requested MPLA documents regarding the permits and licenses of JG Sablan for their activities on Pagan.
“That request had revealed that a notice of violation was issued to JG Sablan and that JG Sablan had not responded — making their mining permits and licenses invalid and terminated in our opinion,” said Smith.
He said several letters that were also produced by MPLA indicated that the agency also considered the JG Sablan permits to have been terminated.
“At the time of our earlier request, we were reassured that PaganWatch would be given notice of any subsequent board meetings that addressed the JG Sablan permit. This did not happen as JG Sablan and Bridgecreek, with MPLA’s apparent approval, have apparently begun using or are attempting to use the JG Sablan permits that we believe are no longer valid,” Smith added.
He said PaganWatch wants “to find out what happened since the jg Sablan permit was terminated in 2004.  This kind of information is critical to the cnmi to make sure the cnmi’s resources are sold and used in the most responsible manner to the most qualified investor.”
Yesterday, Smith sent a formal request to MPLA chairwoman Ana S. Demapan-Castro and commissioner Edward M. Deleon Guerrero that the public records be made available for inspection within 10 days.
He specifically mentioned the record of Feb. 19, 2004 when MPLA issued a “notice of violation” letter to JG Sablan regarding its Pagan activities and license.
‘Good news’
Saying he supports every effort that will bring development to his constituents, Northern Islands Mayor Valentin I. Taisakan said the coming of a new mining investor, Bridgecreek International, is good news.
“We are fully supporting this effort,” Taisakan said, adding that if an “intervention” is needed to assure that the new investor’s plan will go ahead, he is willing to do it.
He said Bridgecreek International will create employment for his constituents, most of whom now depend on fishing and farming as their means of livelihood.
“(Mining on Pagan can be) another source of income for our people and the CNMI as a whole. Besides the employment it can create, it can jumpstart our economy,” he said.
Taisakan believes that if pozzolan mining goes ahead, it will mean the construction of infrastructure in the Northern Islands, the establishment of related businesses and the creation of a centralized school and market for his constituents.
The mayor said the concerns raised by PaganWatch regarding the joint venture of Bridgecreek and JG Sablan should not hamper the mining operations on Pagan.
According to PaganWatch, JG Sablan has failed to get a viable Pagan mining operation going despite holding a permit for more than a decade.
Recently, Bridgecreek and JG Sablan entered into a joint-venture agreement to extract pozzolan from Pagan, which PaganWatch said is “unacceptable.”
Taisakan said he will meet this week officials of the two companies and the MPLA to “verify” the status of the business plan.
“If my help as the mayor of the Northern Islands is asked for in this issue, I am willing to do it because it’s the welfare of my people that is at stake here,” he told Variety.
“This investor will help my residents in terms of jobs, transportation, and infrastructure that will be built on Pagan,” the mayor said.
He said Northern Islands residents were excited upon hearing the news that Bridgecreek was interested in mining Pagan pozzolan.
According to Bridgecreek’s Web site, the Los Angeles-based company is in the real estate business.
To date, the company said it has over $400 million worth of retail, condo, and apartment space.
The company added that it owns and manages more than 1.5 million square feet of space in Southern California and is also expanding into China.