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Stay Informed: Citizens for Safe Water Around Badg

Stay Informed: Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger

NATIONAL - A report by the United Nations this week describes the human rights disparities of minorities in the United States including #Guam and the island of #Vieques.

The US military used Vieques as a live munitions target practice for about 60 years. According to internal Navy documents, bombardments occurred on 180 days out of a year on average. The US military used the high-level depleted uranium munitions and bombs from 1972 on the populated island of some 8,000-9,000 population. Other forms of contamination exist (heavy metals, etc.) because of the use Vieques as a munitions testing and warfare exercise ground.

The militarization of Guam was a main issue of concern for both local authorities and civil society representatives interviewed by the UN. The military controls approximately one third of the island, and military activities have caused serious contamination to the land and drinking water. A firing range complex is currently under construction above an aquifer which provides 90% of the water in Guam, a cause of great concern. Military construction is also taking place in ancestral lands containing ancient burial sites. Such sites are not protected in Guam, unlike native American sites.

To read the full report, visit: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=27843&LangID=E

Prutehi Litekyan - Save Ritidian Vidas Viequenses Valen

_Saina Ma’åse’ para Hinemlo’ yan Lina’la’ i Taotao yan Tåno’_

Happy thanksgiving 🍁

NOTICE Guam EPA Board of Directors Regular Meetin

NOTICE
Guam EPA Board of Directors Regular Meeting, Today 10/21/2021 at 4:00p.m. Please send in a request for the comment period be open for open burn / open detonation pit.

Although open burning has not been conducted since 2002, according to testimony provided by GEPA, and the draft permit states that the open burn site was “decommissioned”, an open burn site is still included in the permit application. It is critical that open burning not be permitted. Once hazardous chemicals such as perfluorinated compounds are released, it is much more difficult to clean up. We have only one aquifer that our population relies upon for drinking water. Other communities whose water source has been contaminated in the US have had to rely on a steady supply of bottled water, which is not sustainable. The focus must be on the prevention of pollution and contamination of our water, air, and food supply.

#guamepa
#ProtectingOurFamilies
#protectingourisland
#protectingourislandresources
#guahan
#openburnpit
#preventioniskey

The open burn/open detonation pit is sited in the

The open burn/open detonation pit is sited in the north near our island’s two most populated villages of Yigo and Dededo. The draft permit would allow the release of hazardous chemicals such as lead, which has been banned in Guam since 1990, and highly carcinogenic substances such as strontium and uranium. Dioxin, which is an endocrine disruptor, carcinogenic in small quantities, and a persistent organic pollutant, has been known to be released as part of the emissions and has been detected in soils
at OB/OD sites.

The most vulnerable, such as children and people with pre-existing heart and lung conditions, are most at risk from exposure to particulate matter. Long- and short-term exposures to fine particles or particulate matter of 2.5 microns and smaller (PM2.5) can harm people’s health, leading to heart attacks, asthma attacks, and premature death.

Although open burning has not been conducted since 2002, according to testimony provided by GEPA, and the draft permit states that the open burn site was “decommissioned”, an open burn site is still included in the permit application. It is critical that open burning not be permitted. Once hazardous chemicals such as perfluorinated compounds are released, it is much more difficult to clean up. We have only one aquifer that our population relies upon for drinking water. Other communities whose water source has been contaminated in the US have had to rely on a steady supply of bottled water, which is not sustainable. The focus must be on prevention of pollution and contamination of our water, air, and food supply.

Open burning and open detonation of munitions are old and outdated practices; we can do better, and we should do better, for the safety of our people and for the generations that will inherit the land. The health and safety of our island’s citizens and the impending environmental dangers as a result of this proposed application greatly compromise long-term economic and social advancement at the expense of short-term economic gains.

#protectingourisland
#guahan
#protectingourchildren
#protectingourfamilies
#guamepa
#openburnpit

pc: National Academy of Sciences Presentation

Senator Perez Holds Hearing on Open Burn/Open Deto

Senator Perez Holds Hearing on Open Burn/Open Detonation Pit Urges Use of Viable Alternatives

Senator Sabina Perez today held an informational hearing in regard to a renewal permit application for an Open Burn/Open Detonation Pit at Andersen Air Force Base, submitted to the Guam Environmental Protection Agency for review.

“Open burning and open detonation are based on a ‘dirty technology’ with ‘virtually no emission controls’, which have resulted in extensive contamination and staggering cleanup costs that can reach more than half a billion dollars at a single site,” said Senator Perez.

Across the US, the sites of open burning of hazardous wastes have led to 54 separate federal Superfund declarations and have exposed the people who live near them to dangers that will persist for generations. The 2019 The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report documented the existence of viable alternatives to dispose of energetic wastes. Open Burn/Open Detonation Pits are now considered a source category for toxic ‘forever chemicals’ that threaten to contaminate our drinking water.

“We must remain vigilant in preventing perfluorinated compounds from entering into and forever contaminating our water supply any more than they already have,” said Senator Perez. “Open Burning and Open Detonation of munitions are old and outdated practices. We can do better, and we should do better, for the safety of our people and the generations that will inherit the land,” Senator Perez added.

The purpose of the informational hearing was to increase awareness of the existence and history of the open burn and open detonation pit on Guam, the health and environmental dangers associated with open burning and open detonation, permitting information and the AAFB application under review by Guam EPA, the availability of viable alternative technologies, and the experience of other US communities exposed to toxic releases from open burning and detonation from military bases.

#guahan
#protectingourisland
#openburnpit
#guamepa