By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

GOVERNOR Benigno R. Fitial supports the creation of a multi-agency task force to determine exactly what the CNMI has in terms of mining assets on Pagan how best to provide a good deal for the government, according to Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr.
On Friday, a bill creating the multi-agency task force was introduced by Rep. Cinta M. Kaipat, Covenant-Saipan and a member of the PaganWatch advocacy group.
The measure contains several modifications to a similar bill introduced by then Speaker Fitial in the previous Legislature.
“The governor’s position in the pozzolan project is that before we sell any mining products from Pagan, we need to objectively evaluate our assets first so that we can learn how much (they’re) worth (which will give the) government the best deal,” Reyes said on Friday.
Due to the concerns raised about the pozzolan project, Reyes said Fitial has ordered a check on the validity of the mining permit of JG Sablan Rock Quarry Inc.
“Some cabinet members of the new administration were asked to determine if the company had a valid mining permit following the PaganWatch’s claim that it’s void,” Reyes said.
PaganWatch filed an Open Government Act request with the Marianas Public Lands Authority for documents concerning JG Sablan’s permit.
PaganWatch said JG Sablan has held a Pagan mining permit for the past 10 years but has never conducted actual operations there.
According to PaganWatch, Bridgecreek International Corp. should participate in the bid process, “rather than take shortcuts by teaming up with JG Sablan.”
Reyes said Fitial fully supports the creation of a multi-task force that will “determine if (JG Sablan) had gone through the legal process in its joint venture with Bridgecreek International Corp. to extract pozzolan from Pagan.”
The chief executive officer of the Bridgecreek, John Carlson, was on island last week to open an office to be shared with JG Sablan.
Carlson also met with bankers to open a new account for the joint venture and the processing of their license.
Reyes said since the administration has not yet taken over MPLA, “we have to deal with the (agency) on this issue because obviously we have no direct supervision on this matter.”
He added, “The governor wants no special favors to be granted and no shortcuts of special interests on the pozzolan project.”
Kaipat’s House Bill 15-56 would create a multi-agency and community task force to undertake a comprehensive feasibility impact study, environmental impact study, and other studies deemed necessary before pozzolan is extracted from Pagan.
The bill also seeks to temporarily prohibit any person from engaging in any pozzolan-extraction activities or any other type of mining activities on Pagan until the task force completes its work.