The mayor of the Northern Islands in CNMI is urging the government to look into the possibility of mining lava rock on Pagan, which he believes could have potential like the material, pozzolan, which is used in concrete .
The Marianas Variety reports that Valentin Taisakan came up with the idea after a field survey of the airstrip on Pagan.
He said he asked the Department of Public Lands for an updated information on the status of the applications for mining pozzolan on Pagan.
Mr Taisakan said lava rocks cover about half the area of the airstrip.
He believes the lava rocks can be used as nonskid material for road pavement, runways and similar projects.
And like pozzolan, he added, it is also good for manufacturing bricks and blocks.
Valentin Taisakan says the abundance of volcanic products on Pagan will hopefully attract serious investors and bring fresh revenue to support government operations.
