The Ethical Controversy Over Technological Advancement at the Expense of the Environment

Group Nine1

Nevin Woulas, Aurthell Furlowe, Megan McCartney, Kerry Layden

IDS 3303

Dr. Schnackenberg

February 14, 2005

The Ethical Dilemma Surrounding the Test Bombing in Vieques, Puerto Rico

The ethical controversy over technological advancement at the expense of the environment has been around for decades. Environmentalists are appalled at the amount of damage we have done to the environment, while most of industrial America is more concerned with technological and monetary gains. Many laws have been invoked in order to help protect the environment, but many of these cost money to enforce and follow. An example of technology being detrimental to the environment is the bomb testing in Vieques, Puerto Rico. The United States Navy tested bombs at this sight for a little over sixty years. The testing has raised this question: is it okay to risk the health of people and the environment if it is important to the advancement of technology?

Vieques is a small island located between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Though it is known for its beautiful beaches, Vieques is not a big tourist spot and has a population of approximately eight thousand. Vieques has been in limbo with the United States military since the early 1940's, when the Navy took over about seventy-two percent of the land on the island for naval maneuvers and bomb testing. In 1947 the United States Interior Department planned to force all Vieques residents off the island in order to have full use of the land. After this attempt failed, the Navy continued to try to take control of more of the land throughout the following decades, each time being met with protests from the islands inhabitants. In April of 1999, while practicing maneuvers, a bomb was accidentally dropped on a Navy observation tower, killing a guard and injuring four others. This event brought to light the hazardous nature of what was taking place in Vieques. In Puerto Rico politicians took notice of these events and joined together to demand the bombing be put to an end; while in the U.S. President Clinton set up a panel to look into the affects of the Navy’s bombing on the land. After months of investigations and allegations against the Navy, President Clinton finally came to his decisions for the future of Vieques. His decision included several aspects, first of which was, “training on Vieques will be limited to inert weapons unless and until a resumption of live fire training is agreed to by the people of Vieques and the Navy,” second, “training will be reduced from the 180 days per year presently used to 90 days per year,” third, “within five years of the resumption of training on Vieques, the Navy will develop an alternative to that training and all training on the island will terminate unless otherwise agreed to by the people of Vieques and the Navy,” and finally, “a resumption of training will be accompanied by a $40 million community development and economic adjustment program that recognizes and offsets the burdens that the training imposes on the people of Vieques”(Chronology). The Puerto Rican government rejected Clintons offer, mainly disagreeing with the fazing out of military operations over five years. Finally, in May 2000 President Clinton and Governor Pedro Rosello of Puerto Rico came to an agreement that the Navy will be removed from Vieques in May 2003. However, before reaching 2003 the Navy gave up the majority of the western end of the island, and then in 2003 the whole eastern end. Most of the land that used to belong to the Navy has now become a Fish and Wildlife Reserve, but currently the land is still the subject of political debates and there is talk of future development in Vieques.

The naval bombing of Vieques, Puerto Rico has caused environmental and health problems on the island. The culmination of destruction caused by approximately sixty years of bombing has lead to ecological damage that will require many years and considerable funding to correct. The bombing can also be linked to increased health problems found in the residents of Vieques. These environmental and health concerns are the two main lasting effects the bombing has left on the island.

The environment has suffered considerably. Now that the bombing has ended and the Navy has left the island, the problem of clean up has risen out of the reign of destruction the island had succumbed to. At the request of Puerto Rican officials and members of Congress including House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, the EPA has listed Vieques as a Superfund site. Congress created the Superfund for the purpose of cleaning up the worst contaminated areas in the U.S. in cooperation with the EPA and the state in which the clean up is needed. For Vieques to be included on the Superfund list means the situation is no small matter. Over the years chemical as well as radiological contamination has occurred. In the 1980’s the Navy introduced the use of depleted uranium in some of its ordinances. Depleted uranium can be radioactive, especially when large amounts are accumulated over time within a particular area.

These environmental problems have impacted the community. The environmental degradation and contamination has caused a reduction in the islands natural resources. For example, the fishing industry, which was formerly a major source of employment, has seen significant decreases and the same goes for agriculture. Previously, these were the two main industries of the islands economy.

The health concerns for the residents of Vieques are high. The damage the environment experienced has lead to health problems for the people. The increased number of pollutants found in the environment can be linked to abnormally “high rates of death, low birth-weight, cancer, vibroacoustic disease, and stress” (Torres 9). The residents of Vieques, a fifty-five square mile island has more cancer cases than the rest of Puerto Rico. The only real explanation for this is the prolonged exposure to environmental contamination from the bombing. For an island with a population just under 10,000 to experience a higher rate of cancer than the rest of Puerto Rico does not make sense until the factor of environmental contamination is included in the analysis, which is a direct resulted of the bombing.

The after effects of the Navy’s bombing in Vieques are significant. In order for the island to make any progress in development or in its economy it must first clean up the environment. There is nothing that can be done with the contaminated land until it is cleaned, so decontamination is a top priority for the island to develop. The correlation between the bombing and its effects on the environment and public health on Vieques are important to note. The “cumulative exposure to war-simulation exercises in the island-municipality during 62 years of Navy control has been associated with negative physical, psychological, social, and ecological outcomes” (Torres 9). The prolonged effects of decades of bombing will take many years to correct, possibly decades in it self.

The bomb testing in Puerto Rico has raised a lot of concerns about the ethics and the rights of both sides that are involved. On one side, questions and concerns have been raised about why the United States istesting bombs in a site that is so close to residential areas. The Navy’s argument against this is that the testing is a necessary activity in the progression of technology and protection of Americans. There have been many protests against the bomb testing, about the people of Puerto Rico, and also the damage it has done to the environment. Currently, bomb testing in Vieques is idle but the United States government can resume the tests at any time.

Since the military began bombing on the Vieques Island of Puerto Rico, there has been an ongoing series of complaints and concerns. The loud noise, the radiation, and the constant fear of a bomb going off course and striking a residential area have been the majority of all complaints (Sanderson, 54). People in the UnitesStates as well as Puerto Rico have been upset by the testing because it is too close to the residents of Vieques. The fear of a bomb going off course is a constant fear for people living near the testing site, but the radiation given off after a bomb has exploded is also cause for concern.

Many environmental activists and political leaders have voiced their feelings about the bombing. Environmentalists are concerned about the bombings because they endanger human life as well as marine life. Coral reefs and sea animals have been suffering the effects of the testing. Since the bombings began, they have found metal in crabs and fish, making them unsafe to eat, and also in water and plants. Their main concern is that the metal can spread quickly, killing thousands of plants and sea animals. Eventually, this metal will start to kill humans as well because sea food is one of the country’s top sources of food (Sanderson, 29).

The citizens have voiced their concerns through numerous protests. They have protested in many forms including rallies, speeches, and strikes. Political leaders of Puerto Rico and of the United States have also expressed their concerns to the government. The Reverend Jesse Jackson called the bombings “a natural shame” to the United States. Other leaders and political figures have also remarked about the bombings and some have been put in prison. Their efforts to get the bombings to stop have been somewhat successful. Right now, the government has halted its’ testing but it is not guaranteed that they will not start again.

The United States Government has always seen this situation from a different point of view. They have explained that the bombings are for the benefit of the people and the country. Without the testing, the United States will be at a disadvantage because technology is constantly changing. The government feels that the testing is the only way the United States can keep up with the changing times. Their argument is that the testing will be beneficial in the future. The bombings also bring money into the Puerto Rican economy because they rent the military facility to foreign countries, and the revenues stay within Puerto Rico (Giutierrez p.14). The benefits of the military testing in Vieques are hard to ignore, and must be taken into consideration when forming an opinion about this controversial subject.

The Unites States test bombing in Vieques, Puerto Rico has caused many concerns among the citizens of Puerto Rico and the United States. For a little over sixty years, the island was subjected to numerous bombings which were detrimental to the environment. Depleted uranium and radiation are some major causes of concern. On the other hand, there has also been over sixty years of progress for the Navy, and income for Puerto Rico. As with all ethical issues, there are two strong sides to this controversy. In the end, it will come down to a decision about which one is more important: the environment and health of Vieques or the Navy’s progression and monetary input in Puerto Rico’s economy.

Works Cited

“A Brief History of Vieques”.

This website provided an overview of the island and a little bit of the history behind the Naval projects that were taking place on the island. However, the site did not provide in depth information on the state of the island up to the current time.

“Chronology of Vieques Fight”.

This website listed all the events that took place on the island of Vieques and all the governmental issues that took place due to the debate of the Navy’s use of the land. This was a good source of information for month-to-month events on the actions of the United States.

Guitierrez, Ismalia. (2004) Indendetisa: Radical Democracy and Statehood. p.13-15

She explains the history of the bombings in Puerto Rico and tells how the people died and survived threw the testing. It details how some of the residents were not able to leave the islands and had to live without any help from the military, such first aide, food, and shelter. She explains what actions the citizens of Puerto Rico took and how their actions help stop the bombings.

Pilar Uribe Marin, Monica del. “Not a Single Bomb More!” The Ecologist 30.5

(2000): 62-63.

This article provided some information about the destruction of the environment caused by the bombing in Vieques. This article contained the information about depleted uranium being used by the Navy. Reliable information was provided by this source because it came from a journal.

Ruiz, Albor. “Time to Target Vieques for Superfund Cleanup.” New York Daily News

15 July 2004: 39

This newspaper article provided the information on the EPA and the superfund. This article is considered to be a reliable source because it is a newspaper and the article is not opinionated, it simply provides information.

Sanderson, Ward. Stars and Stripes: Environment and Energy. New York, 2004.

This book explains and details how the environment is effected by the results of human experiments and everyday activity. It specifically focuses our country (U.S.) and the way we abuse the atmosphere by using dangerous materials, such as nuclear bombs and gasses. It uses specific examples such as the Puerto Rico bomb testing, and World War II. It provides detailed information about how the atmosphere is affected by the use of these and shows what can happen if we don’t take more pre-caution. For example, it explains how radio-active waves stay in the air and the danger it may cause, such as cancer.

Torres, Maria Idali. “Organizing, Educating, and Advocating for Health and Human

Rights in Vieques, Puerto Rico.” American Journal of Public Health 95.1

(2005): 9-12.

The Torres article provided most of the information obtained from research. It contained information about the environment and public health. The author is qualified on this subject, she is affiliated with the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Community Health Education, Policy and Management Concentration.

“Vieques”.

This website gave dates of major events in Vieques starting with the history all the way back to the 1800’s. It did not provide any information past the early 90’s though.