Vieques

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Vieques

Vieques is a 54-square mile island just off the east coast of Puerto
Rico's main island. The U.S. seized the island, as well as the rest of
Puerto Rico, after defeating Spain in a colonial war about a century
ago. At the time, Spain also gave up Cuba and the Philippines. Cuba's
formal independence was recognized soon after. The U.S. "granted" the
Philippines  independence after World War II. 

But Puerto Rico remains a U.S. territory, and its body politic is
divided over the islands political future. Many Puerto Ricans, in fact,
favor closer links with the United States: statehood. A persistent
fraction continues to argue for independence. The largest group appears
to support the status quo. Most Puerto Ricans, however, are
uncomfortable with their position of political inferiority and economic
dependence on the United States. 

After nearly six decades, the U.S. Navy's use of Vieques as a target
range finally struck a nerve this year, uniting diverse Puerto Rican
factions in their opposition to military bombing and firing exercises.
Training has been halted while President Clinton considers the future of
the island, and the Navy and its supporters are lobbying hard to allow
the continued use of this important military asset. Many people outside
of Puerto Rico were surprised at the magnitude and resolve of the
opposition to continuing training, but anger over the Navy's abuse of
the island had simmered on the back burner for many years.

Many members of the U.S. Congress, who fight almost instinctively to
keep military bases in their home districts, don't understand the
difference between a target area such as Vieques and a full-fledged
installation. In Vieques, the Navy doesn't pump up the local economy. 
Off-duty officers don't coach the local youth soccer teams. Their
spouses don't volunteer at domestic violence shelters.

Instead, before the current cease-fire, the more than nine thousand
people who live on a narrow strip across the middle of Vieques were
subject to the noise and emissions from explosions as many as 180 days
each year. Fishing was restricted - and reportedly fish were driven away
by military activity. Unexploded ordnance accumulated in the impact
areas on the eastern half of the island. And this April - this was the
"straw that broke the camel's back" - a Marine F/A-18 missed its target
by two miles and killed a civilian security guard.

Puerto Ricans of all political stripes are not only demanding that the
Navy permanently halt its training exercised on Vieques. They want the
Navy to shut down all military operations, clean up its mess, and go
elsewhere. They have elicited statements of support from a number of
Senators, Congressmen, and according to the Baltimore Sun, privately
from President Clinton.

The Navy, on the other hand, is arguing forcefully that Vieques is
essential for readiness and the safety of American fighting men and
women. Ships based in the Atlantic have no comparable place to train. 
Since the closure of other target areas - including the nearby island of
Culebra - Naval live-fire ranges have all but disappeared.  It would be
costly, time-consuming, and perhaps impossible to replace Vieques.

Officially, the White House is waiting for the report of a high-level,
four-member Presidential Commission. Its report should be released soon.
The Sun reports that the panel is recommending that the Navy vacate the
weapons storage facility that covers the western third of Vieques,
reduce the number of bombing days each year, and terminate all use of
the island in five years.

To use yet one more cliche, the handwriting has been on the wall ever
since the security guard's death.  The Navy's use of Vieques will be
severely curtailed, and it will probably be forced to leave the island
in the foreseeable future. Only the rate of reduction and date of
departure remain to be resolved.

The Navy is a victim of its own negligence and arrogance. If it had
shown more concern for the Vieques environment, it would not be the
target of Puerto Rican anger.  If it had responded effectively to the
Viequenses requests for economic help and adhered to a 1983 agreement
with Vieques, the locals would be more forgiving. That's not to say that
there would be no criticism, but if the Navy had treated Vieques well it
would probably be able to continue at least the most essential training
there indefinitely.

Instead, the Navy, Marines, and other users of the range have operated
with a "fire and forget" mentality.  "Fire and forget" usually means the
launch of a missile that automatically guides itself to a target.  Here,
however, it means dropping a bomb, firing a gun, or launching a missile
without considering its impact on the environment, public health, public
safety, or the local economy. It means treating a range as an
inexhaustible resource. 

The armed services are increasingly recognizing, at least on paper, the
need for "sustainable" range management.  As the National Dialogue on
Military Munitions will soon suggest, this means 1) using ranges in ways
that they can continue to be used for training and testing; 2) assuring
that ranges are used in a way that protects human health and the
environment; and 3) facilitating the return of ranges to other uses when
the military no longer requires them.  Vieques would have been a good
place to start. 

Most immediately, there is a need to understand the environmental
impacts of training. No training should resume until full environmental
studies are conducted. At the Makua Military Reservation, in Hawaii, the
Army has agreed to agreed to halt live-fire training until environmental
studies have been completed. The Navy should promise the same, even
before the President decides the long-term fate of Vieques.

If somehow, the Navy salvages its "right" to target the Vieques range,
it should move quickly and comprehensively to manage the ranges there
better. Toxic releases should be monitored and curtailed. Scrap should
be inspected and recycled.  Unexploded ordnance - at least on or near
the surface or shore - should routinely be removed.  Firing should be
controlled and timed to minimize the impact on habitat and the local
economy

Whether or not the Navy's days on Vieques are numbered, it should move
immediately to establish a cleanup program.  (There appears to be no
environmental restoration program at either the impact area or storage
facility.) Toxic releases - landfills, leaking underground tanks, etc. -
should be identified and scheduled for remediation. The Navy should
agree to a timetable, dispute resolution procedures, and other
guidelines with U.S. EPA and territorial regulators. Local residents
should be invited to join a Restoration Advisory Board. The Navy should
cooperate with independent health studies.

Finally, the Navy should negotiate a plan for the characterization and
clearance of unexploded ordnance with environmental regulators and, for
any property proposed for transfer, with the Puerto Rican and municipal
governments. It should establish a clear, visible channel for funding
range clearance. It won't be easy to restore the entire island for
normal human use. In fact, it's probably impossible within current
cleanup budgets.  But actions can be taken to reduce risk, no matter
what happens to the Navy's use of the property.

Though the end of fiscal year 1997, the Defense Department reported it
had spent $1.6 million on the investigation and restoration of Culebra,
the other (former) Navy impact range off Puerto Rico. Culebra was the
Navy's primary training range in the Atlantic before it closed in the
1970s.  During that closure process the Navy asserted that it simply
could not replace Culebra.  Once the range closed, it consolidated all
operations on Vieques. In 1997, the Navy estimated a cost-to-complete
cleanup of $133 million, and that probably was not based upon complete
clearance and remediation. 

That unfunded Culebra estimate, $133 million, is probably more than the
Defense Department spends each year cleaning up former ranges. The cost
of cleaning and clearing Vieques should far exceed the estimates at
Culebra, and the Navy is not willing to spend that kind of money. 
Consequently, Puerto Rico and the people of Vieques need a clear plan
for addressing the cleanup of their island.  Even if the Viequenses and
their supporters succeed in forcing the Navy off Vieques, they've got
their work cut out for them.


-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/968-1126
lsiegel@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org