Environmentalists Fear Poison Pill In Puerto Rico Debt Bill

Congress is expected to unveil a plan today to address Puerto Rico’s debt crisis, but environmentalists are anxious about a possible rider in the bill that would relinquish federal control of a national wildlife refuge on the island of Vieques. Representative Robert Bishop, chairman of the house natural resources committee, wants the federal government to give up a 3,100-acre chunk of the refuge, which is home to 16 endangered species and hosts hundreds of species of birds as they migrate across the Caribbean.

Here & Now host Meghna Chakrabarti talks to Adriana Gonzalez, an environmental justice organizer for the Sierra Club in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Gonzalez worries cash-strapped Puerto Rico would be unable to properly manage the wildlife refuge, and might even open it up for development.

Guest

• Adriana Gonzalez, environmental justice organizer for the Sierra Club in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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