Yet it was the FAA that provided $300,000 for the creation of a master plan for the Northern Islands. One of the master plan’s recommendations is the expansion of the airstrip on the volcanic island of Pagan.
CPA officials now believe that the FAA’s non-committal has something to do with possible military activities in the Northern Islands.
Then-CPA acting Executive Director Lee Cabrera, in his last meeting with the board, said “there’s no commitment [from the feds] on Pagan airstrip besides the funding they provided for the master plan.”
Last July 1, 2008, CPA asked Gov. Benigno R. Fitial to approve the submission to the federal government of an “innovative readiness training request for military service on the Pagan airfield” to secure the $4.9 million needed for the development of the airstrip.
The U.S. military, which conducted a survey of Pagan in 2003, plans to transfer its Marines from Okinawa to Guam, and this buildup is expected to involve the CNMI, including the Northern Islands.
The master plan for the Northern Islands disclosed that at an Aug. 2007 Guam forum held in preparation for the military buildup, military planners specifically mentioned Pagan and Sarigan in the Northern Islands as possible sites for full-scale amphibious assault training.
The use of the old Tinian airstrip was likewise mentioned, which may bear implications for the Pagan airstrip.
CNMI officials said the massive construction expected to take place on Guam also presents an opportunity to use the yet untapped resources of pozzolan on Pagan.
Pozzolan is an input material in high quality cement, and is effective in reinforcing and strengthening concrete.
