[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1599]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




ALLOW FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE TO REIGN ONCE AGAIN ON THE ISLAND OF PUERTO 
                                  RICO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Madam Speaker, this next Sunday, February 19, I will 
be joining thousands of Puerto Ricans in Old San Juan behind the 
banners of Casa Pueblo, labor unions, environmental groups, and many 
other leaders of Puerto Rico's civic society. The people will exercise 
their democratic right to demand redress from their government. In this 
particular instance, they're demanding clear explanations of the many 
contradictions, misleading statements, and scandals associated with the 
natural gas project popularly known as Gasoducto and misnamed by the 
Puerto Rican regime as Via Verde, or the Green Way.
  Now, it looks like that regime, which fired tens of thousands of 
public sector employees alleging that there was no money to pay their 
salaries, has wasted more than $50 million on a project that was never 
needed, was never practical, and was never supported by the public, a 
project that many think may now be dead. It is also a project with a 
history of troubling insider deals and suspect relationships.
  Madam Speaker, I will proudly march with thousands of people from 
across the island as we make our opposition to the Gasoducto clear. We 
will start at the Capitolio--the Capitol Building--in Old San Juan at 
10 a.m. and march to the Fortaleza. That's the Governor's mansion.
  One of our key messages is to the Federal Government and, 
specifically, to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I wrote to the 
Secretary of the Army asking for an investigation of this very cozy 
relationship between the Jacksonville, Florida, district office of the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida-based consulting company 
made up mostly of retired Corps of Engineers staffers hired by the 
Puerto Rican regime in order to advocate for the pipeline.
  I'm still waiting for a response to my request; but in the meantime, 
I ask why does the Corps waste taxpayers' money continuing to evaluate 
a gas pipeline for which there is no gas? Why are we still considering 
a costly pipeline instead of a more affordable alternative? Why are we 
still considering a project that has raised serious objections from the 
U.S. EPA and the Fish and Wildlife Service and environmental groups 
across the country? Why are we still considering a project opposed by 
no less than 70 percent of the people on the island of Puerto Rico?
  The public has turned against the project, its price tag, its danger, 
and its complete lack of justification. Key decision-makers in the 
private sector and in the Federal Government and in the Puerto Rican 
Government, even up to and including the Governor himself, are slowly 
backpedaling from what has been a headlong rush to build a 92-mile gas 
pipeline.
  Even still, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to consider a 
permit for reasons that are simply unclear to me and anyone else, 
except they may wish to continue to do their friends' bidding--yes, 
their friends that they left behind at the office who soon will leave 
that Federal Government office to join them in the private sector. Oh, 
the ways of Washington, D.C.
  But the people of Puerto Rico have already declared: permit denied. 
This coming Sunday in Old San Juan we will stand together, 
environmental leaders, labor leaders; and we will speak out loud and 
clear.
  Permit to destroy the environment: denied.
  Permit to put lives at risk: denied.
  Permit to disregard the views and the voices of the people: denied.
  Permit to waste money to lavish the friends of the regime with no-bid 
contracts: denied.
  Yes, Madam Speaker, most people in Puerto Rico are convinced that the 
Gasoducto is dead, but I will be proud to join the voice of the Puerto 
Rican people next Sunday as we remain vigilant and firm in our 
opposition to this wasteful, dangerous, and abusive project. Together, 
we will continue to work to allow fairness and justice to reign once 
again on the island of Puerto Rico.

                          ____________________