WASHINGTON — President Clinton signed into law Monday legislation to implement an agreement designed to return to the Puerto Ricans an island used for Navy and Marine Corps training.
Before signing the bill, Clinton explained to Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Rossello congressional changes to the agreement that could continue government control over much of the land.
Rossello told reporters that he asked Clinton to consider setting a date for a referendum among Vieques residents on whether the Navy can remain there.
"He has taken this under advisement," Rossello said.
Otherwise, the president and Rossello discussed changes to the agreement regarding management of wildlife lands on the island, White House spokesman Jake Siewert said. The Vieques agreement was included in an omnibus defense authorization bill that Clinton signed later Monday.
Clinton complained in a written statement that the changes dictated by Congress, while relatively minor, are "neither justifiable nor prudent."
As sent to Clinton, the bill requires that some of land not used for training, which was to have gone to local owners, would be transferred instead to the Interior Department on May 1, 2001, rather than Dec. 31 of this year. The measure also was changed to have the Navy, if the islanders voted to end all training, relinquish most of the land to Interior rather than the government's General Services Administration for disposal.
Clinton said the changes "are not justifiable because Interior and Puerto Rico would together manage the land not used for training that requires protection ... Further, if the people of Vieques vote for all training to end May 1, 2003, there is no known reason why the federal government would want to continue to maintain most of the land used for training.
"The changes are not prudent because they resurrect a basic part of the issue that had largely been put to rest by the agreement — the military's credibility on Vieques community matters."
The Navy's use of Vieques for live-fire air warfare training had caused widespread unrest among islanders and supporters from throughout Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. The Navy had contended the range was essential, but it finally agreed to scale down the exercises and to abide by a the wishes of the islanders as determined by a referendum.
Rossello said Clinton told him that 3,100 acres of land on Vieques, originally to be managed by the General Services Administration, are now to be managed by the Interior Department.
Through legislation, the land could eventually be turned over to Puerto Rico once "cleanup aspects" are completed, the governor said.
"I'm very pleased that the president has taken these additional steps," he said. "This essentially solves and puts to rest the situation in Vieques."