[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4850-4851]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CLEANUP OF VIEQUES AND CULEBRA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Puerto Rico (Mr. Pierluisi) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PIERLUISI. Mr. Speaker, Vieques and Culebra are two island 
municipalities of Puerto Rico. Each is home to beautiful beaches, to 
rich animal and plant life, and to warm, welcoming people.
  For decades, the two islands were used as military training ranges. 
The U.S. citizens living in Vieques and Culebra were required to make 
tremendous sacrifices to ensure the readiness of our Armed Forces and 
to enhance our national defense.
  Although Vieques and Culebra are no longer used for training 
purposes, both islands bear the scars of their past. Some of those 
scars are easy to see, like the impact of bombing on the once pristine 
landscape or like the threat that unexploded bombs in the ground and 
surrounding waters currently pose to the safety of residents and 
visitors.
  Other scars might be more difficult to discern, like the effect that 
bombing-related contamination may have had on public health, 
particularly in Vieques.
  The Department of Defense is currently conducting decontamination 
operations in both Vieques and Culebra. The cleanup of Vieques is being 
conducted by the Navy, while the cleanup of Culebra is being carried 
out by the Corps of Engineers.
  Several days ago, I wrote a letter to the Secretary of Defense about 
DOD's responsibilities with respect to Vieques and Culebra. The letter, 
which was signed by 16 of my colleagues in the House and Senate, makes 
three specific requests.
  First, although many years have passed since the military stopped 
conducting training exercises on Culebra and Vieques, there are still 
meaningful gaps in information about the types and amounts of munitions 
used on both islands.
  My constituents have a compelling interest in knowing which types of 
weapons were used, where they were used, and in what volume they were 
used.
  Congress agrees. As a result of bicameral efforts, the report 
accompanying the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act encourages DOD 
to make public all of its historical documents related to its training 
activities on both islands.
  Our letter to the Secretary requests an update about how DOD intends 
to implement this Congressional language and strongly urges DOD to 
collect, organize, and publish the relevant documents on the Internet 
in a single location.
  Second, the report accompanying the 2014 Defense Appropriations Act 
encourages DOD to accelerate cleanup efforts on Vieques. Therefore, my 
colleagues and I also urged the Secretary of Defense to implement this 
Congressional guidance by allocating the funding necessary to complete 
the cleanup of Vieques as rapidly as possible.
  Finally, the letter reminds the Secretary that there is a serious 
public safety threat in Culebra that requires resolution. As a result 
of a rigid legal interpretation, DOD refuses to fund the cleanup of a 
400-acre parcel that formerly served as the bombardment zone and which 
now has popular beaches, pedestrian walkways, and campgrounds.
  This is unacceptable. Since 1995, there have been over 70 incidents 
in which members of the public have encountered unexploded bombs in 
this part of Culebra that could have caused them great harm.
  Last March, a young girl visiting a Culebra beach suffered burns 
after she picked up an artillery shell containing white phosphorous.
  Earlier this year, local authorities had to close the same Culebra 
beach when a 100-pound unexploded bomb was discovered underwater close 
to shore.

[[Page 4851]]

  I have filed multiple bills to require DOD to fund the cleanup of 
this parcel and to remove this public safety threat, but DOD has 
opposed my efforts. The letter urges DOD to reconsider its position in 
this matter.
  The use of Vieques and Culebra as training ranges may have ceased, 
but the legacy of such use must be addressed by DOD. Working with my 
colleagues, I will continue to do everything within my power to ensure 
that DOD fulfills its legal and moral responsibilities.

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