Feds to Clean Navy Ordnance Off Vieques Island

NEW YORK, New York, October 1, 2007 (ENS) - Cleanup work on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico is moving forward after more than 60 years of U.S. Navy use of the island and surrounding waters for amphibious training exercises, air-to-ground maneuvers and a waste explosives detonation range. The island is located about seven miles southeast of mainland Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, last month signed a proposed federal facility inter-agency agreement with several agencies and jurisdictions for the cleanup, which will include removal of unexploded ordnance and remnants of exploded ordnance.

"Work has been proceeding at the site, but reaching an agreement with all the parties involved is a significant milestone," said EPA Regional Administrator Alan Steinberg. "The federal government agencies and the commonwealth are on the same page on how we will move forward, and that will undoubtedly help in cleaning up this site to the benefit of all involved."

Various areas of the island are contaminated with solid and hazardous waste resulting from decades of military activity including training exercises, equipment maintenance, supply storage and waste disposal.

The agreement requires that the environmental impacts associated with past and present activities on Vieques be investigated and that the appropriate actions are taken in order to protect the surrounding community and the environment. The agreement will facilitate cooperation, exchange of information, and participation of all the parties involved.

"The Department of the Navy is committed to completing the cleanup of Vieques Island to support its intended future uses," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Donald Schregardus. "Completion of this Federal Facility Agreement marks a major milestone in defining the process by which the Navy will work in partnership with EPA, the Department of the Interior, and the Commonwealth to achieve our common goals."

President of the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board Carlos Lopez Freytes said, "The agreement represents an achievement for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico because it guarantees the involvement of the Environmental Quality Board, as co-regulators, on the decision-making process of the cleanup. Our agency is truly committed to having an active participation in order to ensure that the concerns of the community of Vieques are addressed, the local regulations are followed and the cleanup is fair and comprehensive."

Unexploded ordnance and remnants of exploded ordnance, which contain hazardous substances, have been identified in the former range areas of the eastern portion of the Vieques site, as well as in the surrounding waters. Extensive work has been performed to assess the conditions at the Vieques site as a whole, and today's proposed agreement lays out the process for further investigation and cleanup.

"We are proud to be part of this team of professionals cleaning up lands in Vieques and restoring the natural environment," said Sam Hamilton, Southeast regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"It is our responsibility to ensure that the refuge is cleared of contaminants and hazards that could pose a threat to wildlife, residents, staff or visitors," he said. "We will continue to work with the community and our fellow agencies in this monumental effort."

The U.S. Navy began using Vieques, in conjunction with Roosevelt Roads Naval Station on mainland Puerto Rico, in the early years of World War II, as a base for Allied fleets. Land was acquired in the eastern and western portions of Vieques between 1941 and 1943, with further acquisitions occurring during the late 1940s.

On the western portion of Vieques, the Navy operated an ammunition facility until 1948, when the facility ceased operations. It was reactivated in 1962 until its final closure in 2001. Later in that year, the Navy transferred 3,100 acres to the Department of Interior, 4,000 acres to the Municipality of Vieques, and 800 acres to the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust.

The Navy also managed approximately 14,600 acres on the eastern portion of Vieques, which were used for amphibious training exercises and air-to-ground maneuvers. This portion of the island included a waste explosive detonation range, which was operated for many years in support of its training activities. Military training on the eastern section of Vieques ceased in 2003 when the Navy transferred that portion to the Department of the Interior.

In February 2005, the Vieques Island site was placed on the EPA's Superfund List of the most hazardous waste sites in the country.

For a copy of the proposed agreement, to send comments to EPA about the agreement, or for more information on Vieques, visit http://www.epa.gov/region02/vieques/

Public comments on the federal facility inter-agency agreement are welcome until November 13, 2007. Send comments to Daniel Rodríguez, Remedial Project Manager U.S. EPA Vieques Field Office, rodriguez.daniel@epa.gov

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