Sign-on Letter: Base Clean-up in Pa

[Fellowship of Reconciliation <fornatl@igc.org>]

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Sign-on letter to President Clinton
Urging Attention to Toxics and Hazards on U.S. Bases in Panama
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PLEASE CONSIDER SIGNING IN TIME FOR CLINTON MEETING 
WITH PANAMA'S PRESIDENT ON SEPTEMBER 7

Dear friends:

 The Fellowship of Reconciliation is circulating a letter to President 
Clinton regarding the urgent need to attend to toxic and environmental 
damage on U.S. military bases in Panama, which are being turned over to 
Panama under the Panama Canal Treaties.

 The letter is timed to arrive on the eve of President Clinton's 
meeting on September 7th with Panamanian President Ernesto Perez 
Balladares, their first since Perez Balladares took office last year. I 
know that August is a month of heat and vacations, but it is critical that 
President Clinton hear that broad representatives of the U.S. public have 
taken a position on this issue.

 Please read over the enclosed letter and get back to us by fax, letter 
or electronic mail by the end of the day on Wednesday, August 30. 

 The problem of contamination on U.S. bases in Panama has been all 
over the Panamanian press this year. The chair of the National Assembly's 
Foreign Affairs Committee, Oyden Ortega, has publicly demanded that the 
U.S. account for toxics and unexploded munitions on the bases and clean 
them up. The U.S. Southern Command has had to defend its conduct in the 
media.

 The Panama Canal Treaty calls on the United States to remove 
hazards to human health and safety "insofar as practicable" before 
withdrawing. But they have not even turned over environmental audits 
from their files to the Panamanian goverment, which has asked for them. 
With two Army bases transferring to Panama next month, it is imperative 
that President Clinton know how we feel.

 Please take a moment to review the letter and sign on to it. Thanks 
for your collaboration.

John Lindsay-Poland
Fellowship of Reconciliation
515 Broadway
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Voice: (408) 423-1626
Fax: (408) 423-8716

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I am signing on to the letter to President Clinton on the need for the 
United States to be responsible for toxic and dangerous substances on U.S. 
military bases in Panama. 

______________________________________________________
Name, as you would like it to appear

_______________________________________________________
Organizational affiliation and title, as you would like it to appear

Please return to FOR by August 30 at fax or address shown above or by e-
mail to: fornatl@igc.org

LETTER TEXT
 August 30, 1995

The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

 The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) and the the undersigned 
individuals wish to applaud the efforts your administration has taken to 
expand U.S. military environmental compliance at home and abroad and 
commend your commitment to open dialogue with citizens affected by 
base contamination.

 The September 7 State visit by Panaminan President Ernesto Perez 
Balladares provides an opportunity to jointly assess the implementation 
of the Panama Canal Treaties. In light of this important meeting, we 
write to urge you to examine the problem of toxic and environmental 
damage to U.S military sites being closed in Panama in accordance with 
the Canal Treaties. 

 The Canal Treaties offer an unprecedented opportunity for new 
relations with Panama and with the rest of the region, based on mutual 
respect and maturity. 

 The Treaties commit both the United States and Panama to carry out 
Treaty-related activities "in a manner consistent with the protection of 
the natural environment of the Republic of Panama" and to "consult and 
cooperate with each other in all appropriate ways to ensure that they 
shall give due regard to the protection and conservation of the 
environment." (Art. VI, Para. 1, Panama Canal Treaty)

 The Canal Treaty also requires the United States to "ensure insofar 
as may be practicable that every hazard to human life, health and safety is 
removed from any defense site or military area" at the time of U.S. 
withdrawal, and to consult with Panama concerning removal of such 
hazards. (Art. IV, Implementation Agreement for Art. IV, Panama Canal 
Treaty)

 The United States has devoted considerable attention and resources 
to helping Panama develop a democratic government, professionalize its 
police force, and protect the Canal's watershed. We believe these are 
important needs, but to date U.S. policy has not adequately addressed the 
legacy of toxic and dangerous substances left by many decades of military 
activity in Panama. 

 We are concerned about the legacy of hazardous substances on U.S. 
facilities in Panama in three respects. First, information requested by 
the Panamanian government through official channels has not been turned 
over. Panama needs access to information that characterizes the problem 
in order to consult constructively with the United States about possible 
remedies. Second, the efficient operation of the Canal depends on a 
healthy economy, which in turn requires development of the military areas 
on the banks of the Canal which are being transferred to Panama. 
Investment in these areas will be slow or stymied if they present dangers 
to the environment or to health of residents and employees. Third, 
relations between the two countries will be mortgaged if future 
generations of Panamanians find their health and safety compromised by 
what we left behind.

 In addition, there has been unilateral allocation of resources by the 
Department of Defense for site characterization and a biodiversity 
assessment conducted without consultation with Panama on its 
environmental priorities.

 Unexploded ordnance (UXO) used on firing ranges in Panama has led to 
accidental injuries and even deaths to children playing and peasants 
seeking to recycle metal on the ranges. During Operation Secure Refuge 
for Cuban boat people, a U.S. soldier suffered injuries to his hands and 
abdomen after an accidental explosion of UXO.

 The fuel storage facility at Howard Air Base, with a capacity 
exceeding a billion barrels, has a history of leaks into the soil, including a 
109,000 gallon spill of jet fuel on January 17 of this year, of which only 
70% was recovered. 

 The FOR obtained lists of documents from the Navy, Air Force and 
Army that reference dozens of environmental audits of U.S. facilities in 
Panama. (Navy list attached) The Panamanian government, although it had 
requested copies of all relevant documents for DoD facilities from its 
counterpart on the Joint Committee established by the Canal Treaty, had 
no knowledge of these documents until the FOR supplied a copy of the list. 

 Panama's economy and future political stability depend on taking 
advantage of the canal areas in ways that provide social benefit and 
investor confidence. Fulfillment of these goals, as well as continuing 
Panamanian confidence in the United States' commitment to its Treaty 
obligations, require accepting responsibility for removal of both imminent 
and long-term dangers to human health and safety. "Without a formal 
commitment by the United States to adequately clean up those lands it 
will be difficult to find investors willing to assume the risks," according 
to Fernando Manfredo, Jr., a leading figure in the consortium producing the 
master plan for transferring properties. In addition, for successful 
remediation, the involvement of affected local communities and non-
governmental groups in the decision-making process is critical.

 In your deliberations on this issue and the process of Treaty 
implementation generally, we respectfully ask you to ensure the following 
steps are taken:

1. Full and timely release to Panama of available information pertaining to 
hazardous substances and environmental conditions on U.S. defense 
properties in Panama.

2. Comprehensive environmental baseline assessments by independent and 
competent experts for each installation, as is done at domestic bases.

3. In the spirit of Article VI of the Canal Treaty, assistance to help build 
Panama's technical capacity for overseeing the environmental provisions 
of the Canal Treaty and dealing with the long-term implications of the 
contamination problems. 

4. Where hazards to human health and safety are found to be present, 
removal or remediation of the dangerous substances.

 As the United States and Panama enter a new relationship, the 
decisions we make now will be precursors and the basis for what we can 
expect after the year 2000. We hope those relations will be collaborative 
in finding solutions to the considerable practical challenges which our 
nations face. By fully complying with the Treaties' provision for clean-up 
and openly disclosing information to the Panamanian government, we will 
leave a positive legacy and establish a model for our military drawdowns 
in other host nations.

 Mr. President, we respectfully urge you to publicy acknowledge these 
issues following your meeting next week with President Ernesto Perez 
Balladares. We would also like to meet with you to discuss this important 
issue and possible remedies. I look forward to a timely response.

 On behalf of the undersigned group, I am yours sincerely,

 Jo Becker
 Executive Director, FOR

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