Norræn umhverfis- og náttúruverndarsamtök hafa skrifað sameiginlegt bréf til utanríkisráðherra Bandaríkjanna og sendiherra Bandaríkjanna á Íslandi. Í bréfinu er viðskilnaði Bandaríkjamanna á Heiðarfjalli á Langanesi lýst sem algjörlega óviðunandi og bandarísk stjórnvöld eru hvött til að bæta ráð sitt.
Bréf norrænna umhverfisverndarsamtaka til Colin Powell Utanríkisráðherra
Mr Colin Powell, Secretary of State,
Office of the Secretary, United States Department of State,
7th Floor, 2201 C Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20520, USA and
Mr James I. Gadsden, Ambassador
United States Embassy in Iceland
Laufásvegi 21,
101 Reykjavík
11 December 2003
The abandoned US military installation at the H-2 site on Heidarfjall on the Langanes Peninsula in the Northeast of Iceland was a subject for discussion at a recent meeting in Tammisaari, Finland with participants from Nordic nature conservation and environmental NGOs. At the meeting we, the undersigned, were informed by the Icelandic NGO Landvernd that the debris from the installtion has for over thirty years spoiled the landscape in the area. Furthermore, there is evidence to indicate that hazardous waste and other rubbish from the station were stored as ordinary rubbish in the ground in the area and that there is reason to believe that contaminants could pollute groundwater and nearby freshwater resources.
We have been informed that over the years, continuous efforts have been made to make the Government of the United States, and the Icelandic Government, aware of the problem and the need to take appropriate action to remedy the faults. Needless to say, the respective authorities have not yet accepted their responsibilities and, consequently, action is yet to been taken to remedy the situation.
The Nordic Societies for the Conservation of Nature find the current and continuing state of affairs is totally unacceptable. Those who are responsible for the state of the environment at Heidarfjall (site H-2) must take appropriate action and remedy the faults. The debris on the surface and the hazardous substances that may have been buried in the ground, were undeniably left there by their owners, the US Military Forces. It is therefore a fair demand that the United States Military Forces clean the area in cooperation with the local authorities and landowners and ensure that no contaminants pollute the groundwater and nearby freshwater resources. In this context, we would like to refer to Rio Principle No. 15, which states: “Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.“ as well as the Polluter Pays Principle.
On the behalf of the organisations participating in the meeting:
The Finnish Society for Nature and Environment, The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, The Danish Society for the Conservation of Nature, The Swedish Society Nature Conservation, The Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature, Landvernd – the National Association for the Protection of the Icelandic Environment, Åland’s Association for Nature and Environment, The Faroe Islands’ Association for Environment and Nature Protection, Greenland’s Nature Conservation Association,
Mr Heikki Simola
President Finnish Association for Nature Conservation
Kotkankatu 9, FIN-00510, Helsinki, Finland
Mr Tom Gullberg
President Finnish Society for Nature and Environment,
Annegatan 26, FIN-00100 Helsingfors, Finland
Copy: Mr. Halldór Ásgrímsson, Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs
