08/09/2019
Marina EEUU cese de envenenar a los Viequenses, Usen cámaras de detonaciones cerradas para la descontaminación
[English text below- USA Navy stop poisoning the people of Vieques]
Como tú puedes ayudar a detener detonaciones a cielo abierto en Vieques
1) Por favor apoya la petición “Marina EEUU cese de envenenar a los Viequenses, Usen cámaras de detonaciones cerradas para la descontaminación” en http://chng.it/M9ccn4nD solo toma un minuto
2) Comparte (Share) este mensaje a tus amistades y familiares, instandoles que apoyen la resolucion
Recordemos como antes que nuestro pueblo se uniera indignado a exigir la renuncia de Ricky, estuvimos igualmente unidos demandando la salida de la Marina de Guerra de EEUU de Vieques. Esa fue otra gran victoria para Puerto Rico. El Profesor James Porter de la Universidad de Georgia estima que durante 60 años las fuerzas armadas lanzaron un trillón de libras de explosivos en la Isla Nena, dejando la parte este de Vieques no solamente con toneladas de mercurio, plomo, uranio reducido y otros contaminantes muy dañinos, sino también miles de bombas que no explotaron. La Marina esta obligada a limpiar lo que es ahora un “Superfund Site” en el “National Priorities List.” Pero están “limpiando” de la peor manera posible, detonando las bombas sin explotar (UXOs) de manera que las explosiones echan al aire toneladas de carcinógenos y otros contaminantes sumamente peligrosos y los Vientos Alisios depositan estos tóxicos en las zonas pobladas de Vieques, contribuyendo aun mas a la tasa mas alta de Puerto Rico de cáncer, asma y otras enfermedades respiratorias, hipertensión, diabetes, y otras enfermedades.
Mientras detonan UXOs a cielo abierto en Puerto Rico, en Massachusetts, Colorado, Kentucky, Utah, Luisiana, California, Maryland y otros estados usan unas cámaras de detonación cerradas que contienen los contaminantes y no contaminan el aire, la tierra y los depósitos de agua como ocurre en Vieques. Pero la Congresista Puertorriqueña Alexandria Ocasio Cortez introdujo una enmienda al presupuesto del Pentágono que asigna $10 millones para la compra de estas cámaras de detonaciones para Vieques. Ocasio Cortez logró que la Cámara de Representantes de EEUU aprobara su enmienda, pero el Senado no aprobó esa medida, de manera que esta se está debatiendo en la conferencia que debe reconciliar los presupuestos de ambas cámaras de la legislatura de EEUU.
Por favor, considera firmar la petición (http://chng.it/M9ccn4nD) para que el presupuesto final incluya la enmienda que ordena, no solo las cámaras cerradas, sino también ordena:
1) Que se acelere la limpieza de Vieques y Culebra
2) La descontaminación deberá hacerse que cause la menor inconveniencia a los residentes y minimice los riesgos a su salud
3) Se tomen pasos para promover el desarrollo económico de Vieques, Culebra y Ceiba (antigua Roosevelt Roads).
1) Por favor apoya la petición “Marina EEUU cese de envenenar a los Viequenses, Usen cámaras de detonaciones cerradas para la descontaminación” en http://chng.it/M9ccn4nD solo toma un minuto
2) Reenvíale este mensaje a tus amistades y familiares instándolos a que también firmen la petición
Gracias por tu apoyo a Vieques, Culebra y Ceiba
Pepe Rossy a nombre de NY Capital Region for Vieques
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USA Navy stop poisoning the people of Vieques, Puerto Rico, Use close detonation chambers
Please read below and sign the petition at http://chng.it/M9ccn4nD
Please SHARE this post to your home page and/or send it as a FB message to your friends and family and encourage them to support the petition
The island of Vieques, Puerto Rico is home to 9,300 American citizens. In the 1940s the U.S. Navy expropriated 2/3 of this Caribbean island, installed a large munitions depot in one end, a bombing range on the other and relocated all the inhabitants in between these. For the next 60 years the Navy bombed the target range from jets, ships, and helicopters; experimented with new weapons systems; invited NATO and other allies to also practice bombing and mock invasions; and rented the live impact area to private companies to experiment with new weapon systems, all this, just a few miles from the civilian area. The Navy has admitted to using na**lm, depleted uranium and other very toxic chemicals on the island.
James Porter, Distinguished professor at Georgia U., estimates that over 60 years the U.S. and its allies dropped about a trillion pounds of explosives in Vieques. As a result, this island of unique natural beauty, home to several endangered species, has widespread contamination with heavy metals and other toxins (e.g., mercury, lead, cadmium, depleted uranium, arsenic, as well as several known carcinogens). These contaminants are associated with significantly higher rates of cancer, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other chronic diseases in Vieques, than in the rest of Puerto Rico. The former Weapons Training Site is now a Superfund Site on the “National Priorities List”
Although the Navy agreed to stop all bombing and clean up the site in 2003, its “CLEANUP” EFFORTS MOSTLY CONSIST OF OPEN-AIR BURNING AND DETONATIONS (OB/OD) OF UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE, WHICH MAKES THE TOXINS ON THE GROUND AIRBORNE, FURTHER EXACERBATING MEDICAL CONDITIONS IN AN ALREADY VULNERABLE POPULATION. A report from the Congressional Research Service found that closed detonation methods such as “burn trays and blast boxes” are effective at containing pollutants and toxic emissions during military cleanup efforts. In January 2019, the National Academies of Sciences Engineering, and Medicine in its final report concluded that contained detonation chambers is a mature and effective technology to reduce pollution. This is not “pie in the sky,” such technologies are being used to clean up unexploded ordnance in more than a dozen sites in the United States.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA), as passed by the House of Representatives, contains a provision, introduced by Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, to provide $10 million for the purchase and use of closed detonation chambers in Vieques. This allocation is important to ALL Americans as it will set a critical precedent for communities, soldiers and workers at other bases around the nation who are also being exposed to toxic emissions from open air burning and detonation of munitions.
After decades of bombing exercises by our military resulted in severe harm to Vieques, we owe it to our fellow U.S. citizens on the island to clean up after ourselves in a safe, responsible way. As you finalize the NDAA, we urge you to include the House provision that provides funding for a safe Vieques cleanup. Thank you for your consideration of this request.
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The petitions will be delivered to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees:
James Inhofe, Chairman, Senate Committee on Armed Services
Jack Reed, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Armed Services
Adam Smith, Chairman, House Committee on Armed Services
Mac Thornberry, Ranking Member. House Committee on Armed Services
Please sign the petition at http://chng.it/M9ccn4nD
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