Lawmakers blast Vieques decision, say
developers have eyes on prime land
By Sandra Jontz,
Washington bureau
WASHINGTON — The decision to end training on Vieques island unwittingly is
kowtowing to a swindle perpetrated by developers who want the pristine waterfront property
in Puerto Rico, two Congressman told Pentagon leaders Wednesday.
"That’s the scam and the scam hurts national security," said an irate
Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., who strongly disagrees with the decision to abandon its
training site by May 2003.
Sixteen miles of beachfront property would be up for grabs if the U.S. Navy vacates,
Taylor said.
"The fact we would hurt national security by a scam so [a] developer can get their
hand on that property, we should not be part of that, Mr. Secretary," he told Navy
Secretary Gordon R. England, who testified before the House Armed Services Committee.
Bowing to the demands sets a dangerous precedent, and the military can expect vocal
protesters in other areas to follow suit, said Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah.
"Just watch, Okinawa is next, then Korea and on down the line," he told the
Pentagon panel, which included Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Chief of Naval
Operations Adm. Vern Clark, and assistant commandant for the Marine Corps Gen. Michael
Williams.
England defended his decision to the committee, saying he inherited a difficult
situation and developed the best possible plan.
Pentagon officials are expected to submit a draft for legislation soon that would
remove from the November ballot in Vieques the referendum asking voters if the Navy should
stay or go by May 1, 2003. Under current law, the Navy can stay until May 2003, and
indefinitely if voters approve the referendum.
It was "a stupid public policy" to leave that question up to the voters,
conceded Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., who also addressed the development issue.
But a flat out withdrawal from Vieques is just the same, he said, especially since
report after report indicates no suitable substitute location is available.
England assured Congress members that in the next two years, the Navy will find
something. It might be a combination of locations, but something will continue to give
sailors and Marines effective training before deployment for combat.
England and other Pentagon leaders said they need to ensure sailors and Marines get
proper training, and arguably can’t get that in Vieques if residents disrupt
schedules by protesting and trespassing on the training site, they said.
Protesters might have been more welcoming if the Navy had been a better neighbor,
Taylor said. Like setting up a health clinic, or sponsoring a Boys and Girls Club like it
does in other countries around the world.
Live-fire training comes a lot closer to residents near other training sites in the
United States, Taylor pointed out. In Vieques, the nearest house is eight miles and the
nearest town 10 miles away from the impact area. In Quantico, Va., some residents live one
mile away.
Considering the animosity from Puerto Rican residents, the Navy doesn’t think it
will win the Nov. 6 referendum. One reason is because more than 60 percent of the votes
during the gubernatorial election went to the two candidates who opposed the Navy’s
presence, Wolfowitz said.
Another reason is because of the roughly 1,900 lawsuits filed against the Navy by
Vieques residents, England said. "That is not indicative of support."
And England figured a concession would quell the volatile uprising and the Navy would
be allowed to continue its training for the remaining time on the island.
"It was critical to find a way to lower the political temperature," he said.
Protesters, however, have remained resilient in their efforts to push the Navy out now.
But the tension — and subsequent arrests — have subsided, England said.
Ninety-three people have been convicted of various offenses stemming from protests during
April and May exercises, he said. The number decreased during the latest exercise round
that started in mid-June, though he did not give Congress an exact figure.
In exchange for training on the island, even though it’s on land owned by the U.S.
government, Congress authorized the Navy to invest $40 million in Vieques for economic
assistance, and another $50 million to be spent if voters say yes to the referendum.
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