{"id":"01KG0GVSGDMMZM5BGJ4GCBJRGB","cid":"bafkreiairmtwaqbci33rhiircq3trk4wfrd37qxv5wopee4dl7zblug6sq","type":"segment","properties":{"description":"# Policy Directive  \n## Overview  \nThis entity is a **segment** labeled \"Policy Directive,\" extracted from lines 199 to 273 of a source document. It contains a transcript of **President William Jefferson Clinton’s video remarks** delivered on **January 31, 2000**, addressing the ongoing controversy over U.S. Navy training operations on the island of **Vieques, Puerto Rico**. The segment outlines a proposed political resolution to the impasse following a tragic accident in April 1999 that killed civilian security guard David Sanes and injured others. The directive emphasizes a democratic process for the residents of Vieques to determine the island’s future in relation to military training.\n\n## Context  \nThe segment is part of the broader collection [More Classics](arke:01KFXT0KM64XT6K8W52TDEE0YS), which includes curated historical and governmental documents. It was extracted from a larger file by an automated system (\"structure-extraction-lambda\") and divided into two child chunks: [Chunk 1](arke:01KG0GWNTHMXAYKQHH2JMFQ2ME) and [Chunk 2](arke:01KG0GWNV0H272Y9NHT21E06WX), both of which preserve portions of the original text. The document reflects the Clinton administration’s attempt to balance national defense requirements with the legitimate health, economic, environmental, and safety concerns of the Vieques community, while acknowledging decades of strained relations between the U.S. military and local residents.\n\n## Contents  \nThe directive announces that a **referendum will be held by March 2002—possibly as early as November 2000—allowing residents of Vieques to choose** between two options: (1) complete cessation of Navy training and withdrawal by May 1, 2003, or (2) continuation of training under new terms to be disclosed at least three months prior to the vote. Pending the vote, President Clinton orders immediate restrictions: **no live-fire exercises and a 50% reduction in training days** (from 182 in 1998 to 90 in 2000).  \n\nTo address long-standing grievances, the administration commits to a series of remedial measures, including infrastructure development (ferry pier, roads, airport expansion), environmental protection (bioluminescent bay program), economic support (artificial reef for fishing, job training), and a Public Health Service study. The federal government also pledges to begin transferring land on the western quarter of the island to Puerto Rico. The text acknowledges Governor Pedro Rosselló’s role in seeking resolution and appeals for cooperation from Congress and the people of Vieques, recognizing their contributions to U.S. national security.","description_generated_at":"2026-01-27T20:04:55.201Z","description_model":"Qwen/Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507","description_title":"Policy Directive","end_line":273,"extracted_at":"2026-01-27T20:03:33.676Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Policy Directive","source_file":"01KG0GTCBVMYE4TTDCV9ZPXFTA","start_line":199,"text":"No later than\nBy the first day of March in 2002 – and perhaps as early as this November – the people of\nVieques will vote. In that vote, the people of Vieques will be asked to choose between two\nalternatives. If they choose the first alternative, the Navy will cease all training on Vieques and\nleave the island by May 1, 2003. If they choose the other alternative, training will continue on\nVieques on terms that will be presented at least three months before the vote.\n\nI believe this is the best way to resolve the impasse over Vieques, because it gives the people\nmost affected by this decision – the people who actually live on the island – the right to\ndetermine for themselves which course of action we should take.\n\nIn the meantime, until that vote is held, we are taking several other steps to ensure that our\nservicemen and women get the training they need, while addressing Viequen concerns.\n\nFirst, during the period leading up to the vote, I am ordering that training done on Vieques will\nbe limited to non-explosive ordnance – meaning there will be no live fire. I am also directing the\nNavy and Marine Corps to cut in half the amount of time they will spend training. In 1998, our\ntroops trained for 182 days on Vieques. This year, they will be authorized for 90 days, which is\nwhat we need to meet our essential training needs.\n\nSecond, to address the problems caused by past training, we will implement measures to meet\nthe economic, health, safety, and environmental concerns of the people of Vieques. Measures\nwe will implement include, among other things, development of a new commercial ferry pier and\nterminal, an artificial reef to create new commercial fishing areas, temporary compensation for\nfishermen, expanding and improving roads, a bioluminescent bay preservation program, a job\ntraining program for young people, providing land to extend the airport runway, and a Public\nHealth Service Study.\n\nTransferring ownership of the dusted water\narea to the island, positioning Navy ships to\nreduce noise,\n\n<!-- [Page 8](arke:01KG0GQ6JAWD52AGENN0NW0HKD) -->\n01/31/00 MON 08:47 FAX 202 456 9460\nJAN. 30. 2000 4:29PM WHSR 03\nNSC EXECSEC\nNO. 443 P. 4\n003\n\nThird, I will also ask Congress to begin transferring title to land on the western quarter of the island to Puerto Rico.\n\n[In the event that the residents of Vieques vote to continue training on the island, in recognition of the burden such training places on the community, we will increase the investment we make to meet infrastructure and development needs.]\n\nAs a Defense Department panel found,\n\nTo make this solution work, I need your help. I understand the long-held views people have on this issue. I understand that for many residents, the accident re-opened old wounds about the effect that training was having on quality of life. They reflect a distrust that, unfortunately has been building for decades. We have not always been good neighbors on Vieques. While this solution may not meet local needs as immediately as some people would like, I believe this plan will help resolve the impasse over Vieques. I believe it will do so in the fairest possible way, because it gives the people most affected by this decision the ability to choose for themselves what the future of their island will be.\n\nI hope I can count on the people of Vieques to participate when the vote occurs. I also hope I can count on your cooperation to implement the measure I have outlined to allow the training of our troops to continue in a responsible and much more limited manner during this period while addressing the long-time concerns of the residents of La Isla Nena (la EES-la NEN-ya).\n\nPuerto Ricans and the people of Vieques have contributed greatly to our country's security. And I very grateful for that. I hope that all of us can work together with our Congress, to implement this plan. Thank you and God Bless You.\n\n[And I thank Governor Rossello for his unceasing effort to work at this resolution to the impasse.]\n\n[Handwritten note: \"If the 6hr'ts Governor M R\"]\n\n<!-- [Page 9](arke:01KG0GQ5FD7CYRZ1D8J3JEYR6P) -->\n[#364-5790]\nfax at home → fax to Podesta at home\n1/29/00 3:00 p.m.\nOrzulak\n\n# PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON\n## VIDEO REMARKS TO THE\n## PEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO\n## CONCERNING NAVY TRAINING ON VIEQUES\n## JANUARY 31, 2000\n\nMy fellow citizens: last April, there was a tragic accident at the Navy range on Vieques. I mourned the loss to the family of David Sanes (SAN-ness), and the suffering of the others injured that day.\n\nThat terrible accident focused attention on the longstanding concerns of the island about training operations there. For many residents, it re-opened old wounds about the effect that training was having on quality of life. These concerns cover a wide range of issues – from safety and health to the economy and the environment. They reflect a distrust that, unfortunately, has been building for decades.\n\nThe accident led to a strong view in the Commonwealth that the Navy should end its training operations in Vieques. I understand that view.\n\nAt the same time, as Commander in Chief, I cannot send our servicemen and women into harm's way if they have not been adequately trained. I know that Puerto Rico understands that as well as anybody. Puerto Rico has a proud heritage of sending its sons and daughters to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States. You have never turned your back on your duty to share in the burden of defending our country. Some of you have even trained on Vieques.\n","title":"Policy Directive"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KFXT0KM64XT6K8W52TDEE0YS","peer_label":"More Classics","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG0GWNTHMXAYKQHH2JMFQ2ME","peer_label":"Chunk 1","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"contains"},{"peer":"01KG0GWNV0H272Y9NHT21E06WX","peer_label":"Chunk 2","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"contains"}],"ver":3,"created_at":"2026-01-27T20:03:34.275Z","ts":"2026-01-27T20:04:55.372Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF5C36SQEVDHC9CBNZZJH9K"}}