In defense of Azmar

Wise men have taught me to ignore ignorant Letters to the Editor. However, there are times when statements are made which require clarification, or outright denunciation. This [Letter to the Editor–May 24, 2004] is one of them. Besides that, as an eternal optimist, I see this as an opportunity to spread the truth about Azmar.

The letter was both erroneous and malicious. The errors of fact were so gross so as to render the entire letter incredulous. Furthermore, the letter made a personal attract against not only me, but also Mr. Moore, the Mayor of the Northern Mariana Islands, the MPLA Board of Directors and their staff, the Governor and Lt. Governor, CRM, DEQ, EPA and the great majority of CNMI citizens who have been anxiously awaiting the new source of revenues that will flow into the CNMI as a result of the development of the pozzolan deposit on Pagan.

So please spare a few paragraphs of your time to read the following corrections to the accumulated wealth of misinformation that has been spread about Mr. Moore and Azmar International. To paraphrase Dr. Seuss, as did one of the eloquent speakers at the recent NMC graduation, “Those who matter, won’t mind the space I take. And for those who mind, it doesn’t matter.”

As a former biology teacher at Tinian High School, I am insulted that anyone would categorize me as a money-grubbing anti-environmentalist bent on destroying Pagan for personal gain. Nothing could be further from the truth. This can be verified by any number of biologists and environmentalists from the Northern Marianas College and the University of Guam, who I have already contacted to help collect data and record the evolution of the island environment beginning with the day we break ground on Pagan. We hope to get the University of Arizona involved in the publication of the primary data. This group, along with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, will also help finalize a plan for the reforestation and revitalization of Pagan and its rejuvenation as an eco-tourism destination.

It is foolish to even think about strip-mining on Pagan. The pozzolan is a coating of ash that came out of the volcano when it erupted. It is sitting on the surface of the island around the volcano. We must use every effort to scoop off the pozzolan without touching whatever top soil may exist beneath it. In fact, the top soil would be a contaminant in the pozzolan. It would degrade the value of the product and therefore lower its price.

Listen to these words: Azmar will not destroy Pagan’s black sand beach. It is not necessary, and we wouldn’t do it anyway. The burden of wetland mitigation would be too heavy. The ship will be loaded at the south end of the beach, well away from the brackish water pond. Mr. Moore and I and the rest of the team plan on spending many a night with the workers, the returning residents and the new residents who decide to make a go of it on Pagan, sitting on that black sand beach and watching the sun set.

The members of the board of directors of MPLA are owed an apology, as are their staff and the people at CRM, DEQ, etc. There is no way they would allow anyone to rape Pagan. I know many of those individuals, and I know them to be competent and dedicated professionals. The MPLA board has certainly gone out of its way to fulfill its fiduciary responsibility to the public. Anyone who has attended a board meeting can attest to that. The other agencies will do likewise and we look forward to working cooperatively with each of them, as we have with MPLA.

We at Azmar share Mr. Moore’s vision for the future of Pagan and the CNMI. We see the day when the redevelopment of Pagan, funded from the proceeds of a business venture established there, will serve as an international model of business working with government for the benefit of both with a diligent eye toward the future. We recognize that the real future of Pagan is in its location and its natural environment. We believe that it is inevitable that at some time in the future, the land we have cleared of pozzolan will become the centerfold of Pagan as a visitor destination, a model ecosystem, self-sufficient and respected as the fourth Senatorial District of the CNMI. Azmar will remain there, supporting that community through the extraction and sale of pozzolan for at least the next two decades. As the pozzolan is removed, the economic base of the community will gradually shift toward eco-tourism. I know that Mr. Moore and the rest of the Azmar team look forward to the day when Pagan supports a five-star, fly-in fishing resort. You can bet on this. I know this—I am going to catch a marlin up there within a year!

Equally important to Mr. Moore is his commitment to the residents of Pagan who were forced off the island by its eruption in 1981. He personally called upon the Mayor of the Northern Islands to ask for his suggestions as to what Azmar could do for the former residents in support of their relocation. At Mayor Taisican’s request, Mr. Moore set aside $3.45 million dollars to be spent over three years to build a village for those people. That is written into the Azmar pro forma that was submitted to MPLA with our permit application and will be an addendum to the final terms and conditions of the permit.

The money will be there as soon as our permit is effective. When and how this money gets used is up to the Mayor and MPLA. They will decide who is in line for a house and where the village will be located. The legislature may be responsible for providing homestead legislation. In addition, Mr. Moore has made a commitment to build an infirmary, associated with CHC, to be the Pagan Health Center. He also committed to build a schoolhouse to be made available to the public school system. We hope, of course, that a good measure of the money will be put into capital improvement projects for Pagantown, or whatever the people who eventually live there want to call it, including a complete utility system.

As to the revenue sharing between Azmar and the CNMI, the only thing that was correct in the letter was Mr. Moore’s commitment to pay a 7 percent royalty on the gross revenue of the pozzolan shipped from Pagan. This is in addition to paying the 5 percent BGR, the taxes paid at the dock on all the equipment Azmar imports, and all the other fees, assessments and taxes due to the government. Azmar has not requested any relief on any taxes.

The letter testifies to the ignorance of the original writer when it says 93 percent will go to line the pockets of Azmar. In the first place, 60-65 percent of the gross revenue goes to the cost of shipping, which is verifiable. Then one must subtract the cost of building the infrastructure necessary for such an operation on an uninhabited island 200 miles north of the nearest toilet. Then subtract the cost of operations, including salaries. By the way, we will be paying stateside wages. We do not expect to hire alien laborers. We plan to recruit locally, particularly among the Chamorro and Carolinian Americans or Micronesians now living in the CNMI, or we will import mainland U.S. citizens. Ask yourself: Are you a qualified heavy equipment operator working for the government who isn’t getting paid enough, doesn’t have the benefits package you want and doesn’t want to campaign next year for somebody you don’t like? Try Azmar, when we get our permit of course!

The bottom line is, the margin that Azmar will be surviving on isn’t that large, but it is good enough over the long run to make the investment worthwhile.

The letter also had the story of Azmar International and the Azmar Foundation backwards. The Azmar Foundation was created by Ken Moore for the purpose of building a modern, state of the art, interactive national war museum. The great majority of the profits he earns from the Azmar International, mining pozzolan, will go into supporting this altruistic non-profit project. Mr. Moore has also agreed to build a satellite museum on Saipan.

Lastly, and hopefully for the last time, Mr. Moore did not break the law when he took the machine gun out of his uncle’s B-29 from the waters off Alamagan. If he did, then so has every one of us who has picked up a World War II canteen, a mess kit, a helmet, a bayonet, expended bullets or artillery cartridges. If it was true, then half the population of the Marianas would be outlaws! In fact, Mr. Moore presented the gun to HPO and offered to have it fully restored in the states and have it displayed in a major museum with a plaque identifying it as from the CNMI. HPO would have been smarter to take him up on his offer and expand on it, rather than rebuff him. It should also be noted that he rented the MV Challenger for the voyage to Alamagan, filled it with gas and left enough on board to fulfill the needs of the ship for an additional trip north by the CNMI after he left.

Believe it or not, people, Ken Moore really does want to do good things, and it hurts him personally when someone implies otherwise. Over time, this will become self-evident. I believe the day will come when people look upon Ken Moore, much as they did Ken Jones. (I guess that dates me!)

That is plenty for now. If there are other persons or organizations that want to ask questions and stop false rumors, contact me directly at farrells@gtepacifica.net or the Azmar web site at www.azmarinternational.

Don A. Farrell
Marpo Heights, Tinian