National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC)

Testimony

April 14, 2004

By Viola Waghiyi, Coordinator

Alaska Community Action on Toxics

St. Lawrence Island Environmental Justice Project

My name is Vi Waghiyi, my family is from Savoonga, Alaska a Yupik Eskimo community on St. Lawrence Island. I am a Coordinator on the St. Lawrence Island Environmental Justice Project at Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) in Anchorage, AK. ACAT is a non-profit organization that empowers individuals and tribes statewide seeking assistance with toxic contamination issues that affect the health of people and the environment. Half of our constituents are the indigenous people of the state that are from rural communities that continue their traditional subsistence lifestyle and culture. 

First of all, two of my colleagues on the St. Lawrence Island Environmental Justice Project, June Martin and Jesse Gologergen and Pam Miller, Director of ACAT testified before the NEJAC in Seattle, WA. December 3-6, 2001 and to date, have not received any follow up from the committee on our Environmental Justice issues presented before them.

Alaska has 700 Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), two of them on St. Lawrence Island, located in the Bering Sea, strategically located between the Siberian Coast and approximately 130 miles west of Nome, in Northwestern Alaska. Gambell, one of the two villages on the island, is a former Army and Air Force Base. The community of Gambell is located on top of the FUDS waste site today. Northeast Cape is a traditional fishing, hunting and food gathering camp used mainly by the residents of the village of Savoonga. Northeast Cape is a former Air Force Base and was also used as a White Alice Site, an important military sounding post established during the Cold War.

The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for the clean up of the two FUD sites on St. Lawrence Island. They have been criticized for failing to adequately investigate chemical and munitions hazards in 1,500 FUDS throughout the nation. The Congressional investigation was prompted by Congressman John Dingell, Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in a report released by a General Accounting Office report dated September 2002. The people of St. Lawrence Island have expressed concerns that the Army Corps of Engineers has ignored advice from elders, who witnessed first hand the dumping of toxic contaminants and munitions, about the locations of the hot spots of the hazards and debris to be removed and cleaned up. We believe the science of the Army Corps of Engineers is biased, in some cases, inconclusive by design. 

The people of St. Lawrence Island are concerned about health problems that are associated with military contamination, including cancers, diabetes, reproductive problems, thyroid disease, nervous and immune system disorders, learning disabilities, health problems that were not apparent until after the military occupation. Our study funded by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences showed that the people of St. Lawrence Island have elevated PCBs in their blood, 6-9 times the US average, particularly those who use Northeast Cape area for traditional hunting, fishing and food gathering.

 The military has caused impacts that are devastating to our land and environment, that affect our traditional subsistence lifestyle and culture, our people for generations have been stewards of our land and environment with utmost respect for it and also the marine mammals, fish, plants, other wildlife from the island and sea, that has sustained our very existence and survival, and also the health and lives of our people and future generations of the St. Lawrence Island.

The Army Corps of Engineers has stated that the water of the Suqi river in Northeast Cape is safe to drink, where clearly our sample analysis indicates the contaminants are from the Main Complex  that are distributed into the Main Drainage and are sources of PCBs, PAHs, mirex and other pesticides into the lower regions of the Suqi River system, so therefore, the Suqi River is not safe to drink.  Our studies have also concluded that mirex is an on-site contaminant. Mirex is a highly toxic chemical used as a flame retardant and pesticide and it is now banned for use in the United States. Although it is likely that mirex is present at the other military sites, the military has failed to test for it. 

EPA has reviewed the Northeast Cape FUD site and determined that it ranks high enough to be included on the National Priority Site list, also known as Superfund, and the fact that the State of Alaska is not doing a good job to ensure a responsible cleanup. The EPA has not filled its obligation to conduct proper oversight and exert regulatory authority to hold the Military accountable for an adequate and complete clean up. We believe that it was a political decision not to make Northeast Cape a Superfund Site.

Lastly, I would like to emphasize, the Yupiks at St. Lawrence Island welcomed the Military on our island, who set up bases on it to protect the American People. Our people volunteered for the ATG, Alaska Territorial Guard, who were formed before the National Guard, without pay, that heroically rescued men from a downed plane on the island and served our country and are very patriotic and proud of our contributions. With this in mind, the United States Dept. of Defense needs to be held liable for their legacy, conduct an adequate and responsible complete cleanup of the two FUDS on St. Lawrence Island. The land and waters must be restored in order to protect the health and well-being of the environment and health of St. Lawrence Island Yupik people.

We request the EPA to take immediate action to assist the people of St. Lawrence Island in this important Environmental Justice issue. We ask EPA to use their oversight and regulatory authority for responsible clean up and to protect the health of my people of St. Lawrence Island. Thank you.