[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 23, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S466-S467]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petition or memorial was laid before the Senate and was 
referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-163. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislative 
     Assembly of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico requesting the 
     President of the United States and the United States Congress 
     take any and all actions to immediately transfer the 
     operations of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard from its 
     current location at the Muniz Air National Guard Base in the 
     Luis Munoz-Marin International Airport (LMMIA) to the Jose 
     Aponte-De la Torre Airport in the grounds of the former Naval 
     Station Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba; to the Committee on Armed 
     Services.

                          Joint Resolution 73


                          STATEMENT OF MOTIVES

       Public Law 114-187 (2016), known as the Puerto Rico 
     Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), 
     establishes a process to identify as ``critical'' certain 
     projects directed at addressing fiscal and infrastructure 
     emergencies in Puerto Rico, and whose approval, 
     consideration, permitting, and implementation shall be 
     expedited and streamlined. Among the ``critical'' projects 
     are those that are deteriorating and that affect the 
     development of Puerto Rico such as, construction or capital 
     improvement projects in abandoned sectors. Thus, pursuant to 
     PROMESA, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo A. Rossello-
     Nevarez signed Executive Order 2017-003 of January 2, 2017, 
     whereby he declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico with 
     regard to the infrastructure for the rendering of services, 
     directing all government agencies to adhere to the expedited 
     process provided in PROMESA when issuing permits, 
     consultations, endorsements, comments, recommendations, and 
     certifications for infrastructure projects.
       Furthermore, as part of the public policy established by 
     this administration and included in the Plan for Puerto Rico, 
     the redevelopment of Roosevelt Roads constitutes one of the 
     projects identified as emblematic, critical, urgent, and 
     necessary for the economic recovery and the sustainable 
     economic development of Puerto Rico. In order to implement 
     said public policy, the Governor of Puerto Rico established, 
     through Executive Order 2017-004 of January 2, 2017, the 
     ``21st Century Critical Infrastructure Project Interagency 
     Group'' attached to the Office of the Governor, charged with 
     coordinating the efforts and works of government entities in 
     the evaluation and issuance of permits and other necessary 
     transactions for the development of critical, strategic, and 
     emblematic infrastructure projects presented pursuant to 
     PROMESA. It is, therefore, the duty of said Interagency Group 
     to coordinate the efforts to render the Roosevelt Roads' 
     emblematic and critical redevelopment project feasible.
       Over fifteen (15) years have transpired since the Naval 
     Station Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba was closed. The continuous 
     operation of said military installation injected 
     approximately $300 million annually to Puerto Rico's economy. 
     As a result of the closure of the Base, Puerto Rico's economy 
     has suffered losses that exceed $4.5 billion in conservative 
     estimates. Despite the great potential of those lands for the 
     redevelopment and economic revitalization of the region as 
     well as of Puerto Rico, and despite the citizens' constant 
     demands, said facilities are still abandoned and 
     deteriorating. This is the result of the inability to promote 
     private investment in the area to turn it into an economic 
     development center for the benefit of Puerto Rico. In a 
     report submitted to the United States Congress by the 
     Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth on December 20, 
     2016, the Task Force expressed its concern about the slow 
     pace of the effort to redevelop Roosevelt Roads for the 
     economic benefit of the People of Puerto Rico and that it 
     believes that a well-planned and well-executed redevelopment 
     strategy has the potential to transform eastern Puerto Rico. 
     Therefore, the Task Force recommends that the Government of 
     Puerto Rico, working in conjunction with the Revitalization 
     Coordinator established under PROMESA, elected leaders of the 
     surrounding communities, Federal Government agencies with 
     jurisdiction over the matter, and the private sector, 
     prioritize the efficient and effective redevelopment of 
     Roosevelt Roads.
       According to an analysis published by the specialized 
     magazine Urban Affairs Review (Amanda Johnson Ashely and 
     Michael Touchton; Reconceiving Military Base Redevelopment 
     Land Use on Mothballed U.S. Bases; Urban Affairs Review, 2016 
     Vol. 52(3) 391-420. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/
10.1177/1078087414568028) local market conditions and the 
     level of economic productivity in a former military community 
     are likely to influence the variety of land uses that appear 
     on former bases. More economically productive communities are 
     likely to have more redevelopment options at their disposal 
     than less productive, potentially less affluent communities. 
     The analysis suggests that commercial interests are more 
     willing to invest in more affluent rather than less affluent 
     areas or communities.
       Evidently, Puerto Rico's economic situation as well as the 
     decreased productivity and growth of our economy prevent us 
     from creating favorable conditions to successfully promote 
     private investment in Roosevelt Roads and severely limit the 
     available options for the redevelopment thereof. The 
     Roosevelt Roads Naval Station Lands and Facilities 
     Redevelopment Authority issued several requests for proposals 
     (RFP's) in past years; however, it has failed to achieve the 
     redevelopment and conservation of the Naval Station's 
     installations and existing infrastructure. That being the 
     case, the immediate creation in the area of more favorable 
     conditions that promote and attract private investment shall 
     reactivate the area's economy and broaden the uses to be 
     given to the different areas that are part of or surround the 
     former naval station, in the Jose Aponte-de la Torre Airport.
       Consistent with the foregoing, this Legislative Assembly 
     deems it convenient to transfer the operations of the Puerto 
     Rico Air National Guard, currently located at the Luis Munoz-
     Marin International Airport, in Carolina, Puerto Rico, to the 
     airstrips of the Jose Aponte-De la Torre Airport in the 
     former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads.
       For the past decade, the National Guard has undergone a 
     notable transformation, from being nothing more than a 
     strategic reserve of limited use to the United States Armed 
     Forces, to becoming an operational reserve that must be 
     available and ready to provide support to the military 
     operations of the Armed Forces at all times. At present, the 
     installations of the Muniz Air National Guard Base, located 
     in the municipality of Carolina and which occupy 
     approximately 96 cuerdas of the lands of the Luis Munoz-Marin 
     International Airport, do not allow our Air National Guard to 
     expand its operations, much less to adapt to their changing 
     role and the future missions that may be assigned thereto in 
     support of the Armed Forces. The air facilities of the Jose 
     Aponte-De la Torre Airport in the former Naval Station 
     Roosevelt Roads are available and would provide additional 
     space that is optimal, functional, operational, and necessary 
     for the strengthening and growth of our Air National Guard.
       In the judgment of this Legislative Assembly, the proposed 
     transfer would be the most viable option to stimulate and 
     create the conditions, in a very short term, for the 
     redevelopment of the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads 
     which would, in turn, generate economic activity as in the 
     past. This alternative would greatly benefit all of Puerto 
     Rico because it would enable the immediate creation of an 
     economic activity center in the area, as a result of the 
     Puerto Rico Air National Guard starting operations in the 
     Jose Aponte-De la Torre Airport.

[[Page S467]]

       The transfer of Puerto Rico Air National Guard units, 
     equipment, and personnel would populate and generate 
     substantial activity in a currently abandoned area bringing 
     the necessary security elements to protect the integrity of 
     the existing infrastructure and installations, as well as of 
     those that may be developed therein in the future. 
     Furthermore, this would free up, for the short- and long-term 
     development, valuable properties located in other places that 
     are underutilized at present or that, due to their location, 
     could be better used by the people of Puerto Rico than they 
     are now if they were not occupied by the Puerto Rico Air 
     National Guard components.
       Likewise, the proposed transfer would enable the opening of 
     a passenger terminal in the Jose Aponte-De la Torre Airport 
     in the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, under the 
     command of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, similar to 
     those currently operated by the National Guards of other 
     states, to wit: the Jackson Air National Guard Passenger 
     Terminal (Mississippi); Memphis Air National Guard Passenger 
     Terminal (Tennessee); Birmingham Air National Guard Passenger 
     Terminal (Alabama); Great Falls Air National Guard Passenger 
     Terminal (Montana); Stewart Air National Guard Base Passenger 
     Terminal (New York). The establishment of this type of air 
     passenger terminal in Roosevelt Roads would allow active, 
     reserve or retired military personnel and their dependents to 
     travel to and from Puerto Rico as passengers on military 
     planes. This type of air passenger terminal exists in more 
     than 53 military bases around the world. Fourteen (14) of 
     these terminals are located on the east coast of the United 
     States, five (5) of which are in Florida. Through this 
     proposal, the Puerto Rican military community residing in 
     Florida (whether in active duty or retired and their family 
     members) would have the opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico 
     more frequently and free of charge. Moreover, this initiative 
     would pave the way for current and former military personnel 
     worldwide to choose Puerto Rico as one of their tourist 
     destinations by using the military air transportation that 
     would operate to and from the new installations of the Air 
     National Guard in Roosevelt Roads.
       It is worth noting that, at present, the operations of the 
     Puerto Rico National Guard, the 1st Mission Support Command 
     of the U.S. Army Reserve and other Reserve units from the 
     different components of the Armed Forces, including the Air 
     National Guard, generate approximately $440 million for 
     Puerto Rico's economy. The proposed transfer of air 
     operations to Roosevelt Roads, would guarantee a capital 
     injection for our economy by ensuring the importance of our 
     Air National Guard as a fundamental support component of the 
     United States Armed Forces that is always ready.
       On the other hand, new expansion projects for the air 
     facilities of the Luis Munoz-Marin International Airport, 
     which are so necessary to increase national and international 
     air traffic to and from Puerto Rico, could be developed 
     within the grounds thereof.
       With the proposed transfer, the Government of Puerto Rico 
     would immediately stimulate economic activity within the 
     Roosevelt Roads area; enable the Puerto Rico National Guard 
     to strengthen and diversify its operational capacity; ensure 
     its permanence as well as the continuity of its operations on 
     the Island, and relevance thereof at the national level; open 
     the necessary conditions to halt the deterioration of 
     Roosevelt Roads' installations; open new ways to boost the 
     economic development of Carolina, San Juan, Ceiba, and 
     surrounding municipalities; and create, almost immediately, 
     the economic conditions necessary to stimulate private 
     investments in such areas.
       The financial costs entailed by the proposed transfer would 
     be defrayed with the federal funds appropriated to support 
     the military operations in Puerto Rico and through the sale 
     or lease of the unused lands and installations in the Luis 
     Munoz-Marin International Airport to aviation companies.
       It is worth noting that the transfer of the Air National 
     Guard from the LMMIA would only occupy a portion of the Naval 
     Station Roosevelt Roads in the Jose Aponte-De la Torre 
     Airport; therefore, the remaining facilities would be 
     available for development without any problems, just as they 
     are now.
       For all of the foregoing, this Legislative Assembly 
     requests to the President of the United States and the United 
     States Congress, as well as to the Government of Puerto Rico, 
     to take any and all executive, administrative, and 
     legislative actions as are necessary, including the 
     appropriation of funds, to immediately transfer the 
     operations of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard from its 
     current location at the Muniz Air National Guard Base in the 
     Luis Munoz-Marin International Airport (LMMIA) to the Jose 
     Aponte-De la Torre Airport in the grounds of the former Naval 
     Station Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba. The Legislative Assembly of 
     Puerto Rico further requests to the Governor of Puerto Rico, 
     as Commander-in-Chief of the Puerto Rico Military Forces, to 
     direct the Puerto Rico National Guard Adjutant General to 
     initiate the process before the National Guard Bureau in 
     Washington DC to authorize the immediate transfer of said 
     operations to the Jose Aponte-De la Torre Airport in the 
     grounds of the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba.
       Be it Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico:
       Section 1.--To request to the President and the Congress of 
     the United States of America, as well as to the Government of 
     Puerto Rico, to take any and all executive and administrative 
     actions as are necessary, including the appropriation of 
     funds or the allocation of human resources, to immediately 
     transfer the operations of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard 
     from its current location at the Muniz Air National Guard 
     Base in the Luis Munoz-Marin International Airport (LMMIA) to 
     the Jose Aponte-De la Torre Airport in the grounds of the 
     former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba.
       Section 2.--Furthermore, to request, further, to the 
     Governor of Puerto Rico, as Commander-in-Chief of the Puerto 
     Rico Military Forces, to instruct the Puerto Rico National 
     Guard Adjutant General to begin the process before the 
     National Guard Bureau in Washington, DC to make feasible the 
     immediate transfer of said operations to the Jose Aponte-De 
     la Torre Airport in the grounds of the former Naval Station 
     Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba.
       Section 3.--Furthermore, to request to the Governor of 
     Puerto Rico to instruct the ``21st Century Critical 
     Infrastructure Project Interagency Group'' created by virtue 
     of Executive Order Number 2017-004, to include in its 
     critical projects agenda the immediate transfer of the 
     operations of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard from its 
     current location at the Muniz Air National Guard Base in the 
     Luis Munoz-Marin International Airport to the Jose Aponte-De 
     la Torre Airport in the grounds of the former Naval Station 
     Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba.
       Section 4.--It is hereby directed that a copy of this Joint 
     Resolution, translated into the English language, be 
     delivered to the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in 
     Washington, as well as to all members of the United States 
     Congress, to the United States President, the Governor of 
     Puerto Rico, the members of the Board created by virtue of 
     the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability 
     Act (PROMESA), the Puerto Rico National Guard Adjutant 
     General, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau of the United 
     States Department of Defense, the members of the 21st Century 
     Critical Infrastructure Project Interagency Group created by 
     virtue of Executive Order Number 2017-004, and to the Mayors 
     of Ceiba, Fajardo, Naguabo, Rio Grande, Vieques, and Culebra.
       Section 5.--This Joint Resolution shall take effect upon 
     its approval.

                          ____________________