Vieques and Culebra Islands: An Analysis of Cleanup Status and Costs

Publication Date: July 2005

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Environment

Type:

Abstract:

For decades, the U.S. Navy conducted ship-to-shore bombing exercises and other live-fire training activities on Vieques Island and Culebra Island, located off the coast of Puerto Rico. In response to concerns about risks to public safety, human health, and the environment, Congress directed the Navy to close its training facilities on Vieques Island in 2003 and to relocate them elsewhere. The Navy has begun to investigate the presence of munitions and related contamination on Vieques to determine the cleanup actions that will be necessary to protect human health and the environment, and has begun the surface removal of munitions in some areas. In 1974, Congress had enacted legislation that required the Navy to cease its training operations on Culebra Island, in response to similar public concerns. The Army Corps of Engineers has removed some munitions on Culebra to address safety hazards in publicly accessible areas, but has not begun a comprehensive cleanup of the island. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board are responsible for overseeing these actions.

There has been rising public interest in the degree to which the Department of Defense (DOD) will be required to clean up both islands. The scope of the cleanup will depend on the type and extent of contamination found, and whether a pathway of human exposure exists. The National Defense Authorization Act for FY2002 (P.L. 107-107) prohibits public access within the Live Impact Area of the former bombing range on Vieques. Public access also may be limited in other areas due to the presence of munitions hazards. Since denying public access is intended to reduce safety threats, DOD may be allowed to remove fewer munitions than would be required otherwise. However, if contamination has leached from munitions and migrated to present a pathway of exposure, removal of more munitions may be required to protect human health. Possible pathways include the consumption of contaminated groundwater and contaminated fish or shellfish.

At the request of the Governor of Puerto Rico, Sila M. Calderon, EPA listed Vieques on the National Priorities List (NPL) of the nation's most hazardous waste sites on February 11, 2005. Listing a site on the NPL does not affect the stringency of the cleanup that is required or increase the availability of funding for the Navy to perform the cleanup. Rather, it identifies Vieques as a site that warrants further investigation to determine actions that are necessary to protect human health and the environment. The Governor also requested that EPA list Culebra on the NPL along with Vieques. However, EPA "elected to take no action" on its final listing decision for Culebra at that time, and reports that the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Army are negotiating a Memorandum of Agreement to govern the cleanup. Regardless of the site listing decision, the degree of cleanup on either island will depend on threats to human health and the environment and the types of remediation that will be deemed necessary to address these threats. Whatever actions are required, the progress of cleanup will depend on the availability of federal funding to pay for the remediation. This report will be updated annually to track the status of cleanup on both islands.