By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

JG Sablan’s CEO says he respects Gov. Benigno R. Fitial’s decision to seek court intervention in the controversy over his company’s Pagan mining permit, adding that he still supports the administration’s efforts to improve the local economy.
“It is the governor’s prerogative to refer this issue to Supreme Court and I guess he’s just doing his job,” John T. Sablan told Variety yesterday.
The administration wants to determine the legality of the measure reinstating Sablan’s mining permit.
The governor vetoed the bill, S.B. 15-4, but lawmakers overrode it last week.
“The governor has a lot of problems right now and we want to assist his administration by offering help. I think that it’s better if everybody unites and supports the government,” Sablan said.
On Tuesday, the Department of Public Lands rejected with finality the administrative appeal of JG Sablan citing “public interest” as a main consideration.
DPL Secretary John Del Rosario Jr., in his 28-page decision, said that the “clear loser” if Sablan’s permit is reinstated would be the people of the commonwealth, “whose entitlement to profits from the mining pozzolan would be subordinated to the greed” of JG Sablan and Bridegcreek, its Los Angeles-based partner.
“In saying that we’re greedy, Mr. Del Rosario may not really understand the market for pozzolan and the demand for that material,” Sablan said, adding that if he were given the chance to explain their side to the secretary, “I think he would understand what it really means.”
Del Rosario said if a ton of pozzolan is worth $35 and 50 million tons were sold, $1.75 billion will be generated. Of this amount, he said, the CNMI would get $175 million, JG Sablan $300 million, and Bridgecreek $600 million (not $175,000, $300,000 $600,000 as earlier reported).
Brigrecreek’s chief operating officer John Carlson was supposed to be on island this week.
“He postponed his trip because of this issue, but he assured me that he’ll be here soon to make a final arrangement,” Sablan said.
In an e-mail, Carlson said they were very “disappointed” with how thing are going on with the mining project.
“We were disappointed to hear that Governor Fitial vetoed S.B. 15-45. I am told that this decision was based on the grounds that it would have violated the CNMI Constitution. It is my understanding that Mr. Sablan’s attorneys are looking at various options to see how to proceed from here,” Carlson said.
He said Bridgecreek is still very interested in moving forward with the project, “if it can be done under the proper terms and with the support of the administration and the Legislature.”
He added, “I am very fond of the people of the CNMI and would do anything to assist the Commonwealth.”
He said they want to come to the CNMI as a “partner, not as an adversary.”