ISLAND OF VIEQUES IN PUERTO RICO REMAINS CONTAMINATED FROM NAVY’S TRAINING & BOMBING EXERCISES YEARS AGO; CALLS FOR EXPEDITED & MORE COMPREHENSIVE CLEANUP EFFORT OF TOXIC ORDNANCE THAT REMAIN ON ISLAND AND OFFSHORE
U.S. Navy Tested and Launched Explosive Ordnance on Vieques and Offshore for Over 60 Years; Navy’s 2025 Cleanup Deadline Poses Threat to Environment and Public Safety
Schumer Urges Navy to Utilize Federal Funding from Navy’s Environmental Restoration and Expedite Cleanup Efforts at Vieques
Schumer: U.S. Navy Must Remedy the Toxic Conditions it Created on-and-Near Vieques ASAP
Yesterday, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the U.S. Navy to expedite toxic cleanup on the Island of Vieques, Puerto Rico so that the land and nearby water offshore can finally be utilized by the public. Beginning in the 1940s, the U.S. Navy used Vieques for live fire naval training exercises and as a result, toxic military munitions can still be found on the land and nearby offshore.
In order for Puerto Rico to transform this beautiful-but-impoverished area into a tourism haven, the chemicals and pollutants must be cleaned, according to Schumer. Although the U.S. Navy’s cleanup is underway, various areas of the island and nearby offshore waters remain contaminated and pose a potential health risk. Schumer urged the U.S. Navy to quickly move forward with the cleanup efforts and designate $40 million in federal funding from the Navy’s Environmental Restoration funding for Vieques.
"The U.S. Navy must do a better job cleaning up the toxic mess it left behind on the paradise-in-limbo that is Vieques, Puerto Rico,” said Schumer. “The great people of Vieques should not be on the hook for the consequences of U.S. military exercises, and the Navy should expedite its cleanup efforts – on the island and in the nearby offshore waters – in order to keep both the environment healthy and the people safe. Doing so will unleash the pent-up economic potential of this beautiful-but-impoverished island.”
Vieques is a small Puerto Rican island a few miles east of mainland Puerto Rico. Parts of Vieques, approximately two- thirds of the island, were purchased by the Department of the Navy between 1941 and 1950. For nearly sixty years, the Navy used the island of Vieques for target practice and training exercises involving ship-to-shore gunfire, air-to-ground bombing by naval aircraft, Marine amphibious landings or some combination. Until April 1999, the Navy used the Vieques training range nearly 180 days of the year. In 2001, the western end of the island was returned to the Municipality of Vieques.
After the base was closed, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated Vieques a superfund site and worked together with the Navy to research and conduct cleanup efforts at Vieques. Areas of the island remain contaminated and reports suggest it will take until the year 2025 for the Navy to remove all environmental damage at the eastern portion of Vieques.
Unexploded ordnance remains underwater surrounding Vieques. The unexploded bombs polluting the bottom of the ocean are leaking toxins, harming marine life and ecosystems. After performing tests to assess the radioactivity of the materials, researchers have found that carcinogens are polluting the area. Feather duster worms, sea urchins, coral, and other marine life carry 100 times more carcinogenic material than is considered safe for edible seafood in Vieques’ waters.
Schumer today urged the Navy to expedite its remediation efforts at Vieques so that the island can be turned into a tourist haven and can accommodate the population’s growth. Schumer explained that residents of Vieques are concerned about the contamination’s impact on their health and reports suggest it will take until the year 2025 for the Navy to remove all environmental damage at the eastern portion of Vieques.
A copy of Schumer’s letter can be found below:
Dear Secretary of the Navy Mabus:
I write to urge the U.S. Navy to expedite environmental cleanup of contaminated areas on the Island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Beginning in the 1940s, the U.S. Navy used Vieques for naval gunfire support and air-to-ground training. This has resulted in contamination of the island from the decades of military activity including training exercises, equipment maintenance, supply storage and waste disposal. In order for Puerto Rico to realize this area’s potential for tourism and economic development, this area must undergo environmental restoration to remove any harmful contamination that still exists. Although the U.S. Navy’s cleanup is underway, various areas of the island still remain contaminated and pose a potential health risk. I urge the U.S. Navy to quickly move forward with the cleanup efforts and to designate $40 million in federal funding from the Navy’s Environmental Restoration funding for Vieques.
After the Navy ceased all military operations in 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated Vieques a superfund site and added portions of the island to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 2005. Property on the eastern side of the Island was transferred to the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the land was designated as a wildlife refuge in 2001. Areas of the island remain contaminated and reports suggest that at the current rate it will take until the year 2025 for the Navy to remove all environmental damage at the eastern portion of Vieques. This not only inhibits the potential of Vieques to grow, especially given the sites large geographic area, but poses a significant health risk to the public.
Again, I urge you to both expedite the cleanup of this site and dedicate $40 million dollars from the Navy’s Environmental Restoration Funding to ensure that sufficient financial resources are provided to restore the environmental damage to the Island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Thank you for your attention to this important request.
Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer