Bridgecreek: New mining bill won’t apply to us

A Los Angeles-based firm seeking to extract pozzolan from Pagan believes that the Pagan mining task force bill does not apply to the joint venture company it recently formed with a local business.

John Carlson, chief executive officer of Bridgecreek International Corp., said in an interview that House Bill 15-56 would apply only to companies applying for new permits to mine Pagan pozzolan.

Bridgecreek and JG Sablan Rock Quarry Inc. recently formed a joint venture company to conduct mining operations in Pagan. They intend to use JG Sablan’s 11-year-old mining permit.

“We don’t oppose Representative [Cinta] Kaipat’s proposal since it does not apply to permits like ours that have already been granted,” Carlson said.

He noted that JG Sablan, which has had a mining permit since Sept. 8, 1995, does not have exclusive right to extract pozzolan from the northern island. JG Sablan has been given a defined area to mining, leaving other parts of the island available for other companies that may be granted mining permits.

“Anyone else that wants to come in now will have to do what H.B. 15-56 says,” Carlson maintained.

Authored by Kaipat, 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 duties and responsibilities.

According to the bill, the task force will consist of designated representatives from the Northern Islands Mayor Office, Marianas Public Lands Authority “or its successor,” Division of Environmental Quality, Coastal Resources Management, Historic Preservation Office, Division of Fish and Wildlife, and the departments of Lands and Natural Resources and Public Works.

The chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources Committee will also appoint a representative from a non-governmental organization. The governor and the Legislature may each designate a representative to the task force.

“The task force shall enlist the aid of experienced experts from within and outside the CNMI to conduct the feasibility impact study and the environmental impact study, as well as any other study or studies deemed necessary, and shall also enlist the aid of knowledgeable mining industry consultants as well as any other consultants necessary to aid the task force in the fair and ethical selection of the winning bidder,” the bill stated.