Gas Pipeline

Today, June 9, 2011, local Puerto Rican leaders, activists and supporters of the Puerto Rican people and the environment, including the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights-NYC Chapter, LaborCouncil for Latin American Advancement, and East Harlem Preservation, met at noon in front of 26 Federal Plaza in New York city to protest the controversial plan to build a 93-mile natural gas pipelinethat will cross the island from south to north. Protestors asked that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deny the permit requested by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to construct thedangerous pipeline. [Also see previous post Massive Puerto Rico pipeline triggers debate.]
As the National Institute for Latino Policy (NILP) reports, “the gathering will take place just days beforethe National Puerto Rican Parade which has been dedicated to the natural environment of Puerto Rico. Ironically, it’s a natural environment that is threatened by this costly, unnecessary and destructiveproject.” Critics say it will expose people living near it to deadly explosions and cause irreversible damage to the island’s environmental and cultural resources. According to the NILP and othersources, public opposition to the project is strong. Polls indicate that 70% of the citizens of Puerto Rico oppose the construction of the pipeline (El Nuevo Día, March 2011). Officially called by thegovernment Vía Verde [Green Way], the pipeline has been dubbed Vía de la Muerte [Death Route] by its opponents and prompted protests and petitions to stop it. On May 1, 2011, over 30,000 people marchedtogether to protest the “Vía Verde” gas pipeline.
The NILP also explains that Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño has made the $450 million project a central goal of his administration and insists itis a safe and environmentally friendly way to lower utility bills. Apparently, to avoid compliance with basic regulatory standards and ignore procedural safeguards for the construction of such a...