BLUMENTHAL, COLLEAGUES CALL ON PRESIDENT TRUMP TO PRIORITIZE DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS FOR PUERTO RICAN ISLANDS OF VIEQUES AND CULEBRA

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October 3, 2017

Senators Urge White House Not to Neglect the Islands and to Carefully Monitor the Vieques Superfund Site

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today called on President Trump to step up disaster recovery efforts on the Puerto Rican islands of Vieques and Culebra after the islands were devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Led by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Conn.), Blumenthal joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in sending a letter to President Trump.

Citing in their letter the remoteness of the islands and reports that residents have been "without running water, power, gasoline or communications for more than a week," the senators wrote to President Trump to request that sufficient aid and relief personnel be sent to the islands as soon as possible.

"The residents of Vieques and Culebra are U.S. citizens, and no fellow citizen should be left 'clamoring for help,'" wrote the senators. "They need help now, and we urge that you provide them with sufficient aid and assistance without further delay."

The Senators also expressed concern about the superfund site on Vieques and the potential health risks posed by the heavy metals and toxic chemicals left on the island after decades of military exercises by the U.S. Navy. In 2015, Blumenthal visited Culebra to discuss federal clean-up efforts of unexploded munitions left from decades of naval training. After inaction by the Department of Defense, Blumenthal and Gillibrand helped lead a legislative effort in the Senate, alongside Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi of Puerto Rico in the House, to enable a federal clean-up of the area.

"We share the concern of residents that the hazardous waste may further contaminate the island and water supplies, and ultimately threaten the health of local residents," the senators wrote. "Additionally, the superfund site contains unexploded bombs and live ammunition that could be washed into the sea, posing long-term health and safety risks."

In 2015, Blumenthal visited Culebra to discuss federal clean-up efforts of unexploded munitions left from decades of naval training. After inaction by the Department of Defense, Blumenthal and Gillibrand helped lead a legislative effort in the Senate, alongside Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi of Puerto Rico in the House, to enable a federal clean-up of the area.

Yesterday, Blumenthal joined Warren and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in visiting the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to demand a more robust response to the catastrophic damage Puerto Rico is suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane. During the visit, Blumenthal pressed administration officials on the status of military clean-up efforts.

The full text of the letter can be found at: http://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/c57569cfb8840e73a4ce66021506bf6c/9248215/realurl=http:/www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/20171003LettertoTrumpPRIslands.pdf.