WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced the Vieques Recovery and Redevelopment Act. This bipartisan legislation would address the severe health inequities faced by the residents of Vieques off the coast of Puerto Rico. These severe health outcomes are a result of environmental contamination caused by the U.S. Navy’s decades-long usage of the island for military training exercises and as a bombing range.

“The U.S. Navy left the island of Vieques over twenty years ago, but the thousands of American citizens who live there continue to suffer from contamination and high rates of illness,” said Senator Wicker. “It is time for the U.S. government to settle these victims’ claims and help improve the island’s healthcare infrastructure for the future.”

“For too long, the people of Vieques have lived with the devastating health and environmental impacts of military testing on their island,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This bill delivers long overdue justice by providing compensation to those harmed, rebuilding access to healthcare, and strengthening efforts to clean up the toxic waste that continues to threaten the Vieques community. I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan effort to finally give the people of Vieques the support and resources they deserve.”

Full text of the resolution can be found here. 

Background:

• From the 1940s until 2003, the U.S. Navy used the island for training exercises and as a bombing range.
• Decades of munitions testing on the small island led to severe environmental contamination. Vieques’ residents have suffered from the health impacts of long-term exposure to this environmental contamination, including higher rates of cancer, cirrhosis, hypertension, diabetes, and heavy metal diseases.
• To date, the U.S. government has not provided the residents of Vieques with compensation for damages to their health. Hurricane Maria destroyed Vieques’ only health care center in 2017, exacerbating the island’s health crisis.
• Today, residents of Vieques must travel by ferry to the main island of Puerto Rico to receive medical care, a dangerous situation that is especially difficult for cancer and dialysis patients. The health crisis in Vieques only continues to worsen, demonstrating why Congress must act with urgency to pass this bipartisan legislation.