US Army Corps of Engineers sued over Puerto Rico dredging project

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, Texas (AA) - The US Army Corps of Engineers was sued Tuesday by several environmental groups over its plans to expand a dredging project in the US territory of Puerto Rico.

“We reject this project because it will aggravate the already acute situation and circumstances which these communities encounter day to day,” said Federico Cintrón Moscoso, the director of El Puente, one of three groups that filed the suit.

“This lawsuit will bring justice closer to...the southwest part of the San Juan Bay," said Moscoso. "These communities from Cataño and Guaynabo have fought and dealt for years with the systemic placement of power plants and fuel terminals, which places a disproportionate burden on these disadvantaged communities whose population is primarily composed of minorities."

The lawsuit challenges the San Juan Bay Dredging Project, which would expand liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping to Puerto Rico and increase the amount of LNG transferred by shipping tankers into San Juan Bay from 5.2 million gallons to 34.3 million gallons.

The suit claims the port expansion would also involve the dredging and disposal of more than two million cubic yards of sediment to deepen and widen the shipping channels.

Environmental groups say it will drive fossil fuel dependence, "impeding Puerto Rico’s commitment to transition to renewable energy."

“By deepening the shipping channel for fossil fuel imports, this project also deepens the climate crisis,” said Catherine Kilduff, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, another plaintiff in the lawsuit. “The Corps’ plan to dredge San Juan Bay is a disaster for the corals and wildlife that inhabit the sensitive estuary and for Puerto Rico’s plans to transition to renewable energy.”

Environmental groups stress that the dredging project threatens to "smother corals and suck up sea turtles," including endangered leatherback sea turtles.

The lawsuit claims the Army Corps of Engineers discounted these critical hazards and that their "failure to disclose the detrimental effects of LNG shipping and harm to neighboring communities violates the National Environmental Policy Act."

“The many different uses of this bay have increasingly burdened residential communities for decades," said Mary Ann Lucking, director of CORALations, the third party involved in the lawsuit.

"But now this dredge expansion introduces a new use that itself alone presents even greater risks to residents, a nearby hospital, the capital of San Juan, an electrical plant, recreational, rescue and commercial supply chain navigation, as well as posing significant risks to the natural and historic patrimony of the people of Puerto Rico,” Lucking continued.

Environmental groups say the San Juan Bay Dredging Project was fast-tracked shortly after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico in 2017 and wiped out power across the island. At that time, they say the Army Corps of Engineers presented an environmental assessment which concluded that the project would have no significant environmental effects.

The lawsuit states that thousands of residents living west of the main dredging areas were not considered or properly notified of the project. It also claims that higher risks to those communities were not evaluated and that the project could damage important cultural resources.