http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/9229979

Vieques, Puerto Rico Naval Training Range background and issues for Congress

On June 14, 2001, the Bush Administration announced that it had decided to end military training operations at the U.S. naval training range on the small Puerto Rican island of Vieques by May 2003. The announcement superceded a January 2000 agreement between President Clinton and the previous Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Rossello, that called for holding a referendum on Vieques to decide its future. To implement the Clinton-Rossello plan, Congress in 2000 approved $40 million in assistance funding for Vieques and other legislation as part of P.L. 106-246 (H.R. 4425) and P.L. 106-398 (H.R. 4205). The FY2002 defense authorization act (P.L. 107-107 of December 28, 2001) contains a provision (Section 1049) that (1) canceled the requirement for holding the January 2002 referendum; (2) authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to close the Vieques range if the Secretary certifies that equivalent or superior training facilities exist and are immediately available; (3) requires the Secretary, in making this determination, to take into account the views of Navy and Marine Corps leaders; and (4) transfers the lands to the Department of the Interior if the range is closed. The Senate Armed Services Committee's report (H. Rept. 107-151 of May 15, 2002) on the FY2003 defense authorization bill (S. 2514) directs the Navy to submit a report to the congressional defense committees by March 1, 2003 on plans for joint task force, combined-arms training of naval forces during FY2003, including planned locations and use of live munitions, and on the Navy's progress in identifying an alternate location or locations for the Vieques range.

Open All Close All