Current:Home > InvestOversight board says it will help speed up projects to fix Puerto Rico’s electric grid-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Oversight board says it will help speed up projects to fix Puerto Rico’s electric grid
View Date:2024-12-23 18:40:35
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A federal control board that oversees Puerto Rico’s finances announced Wednesday that it will step in to help speed up projects to fix the island’s crumbling power grid as widespread outages persist.
Only $1.2 billion out of more than $17 billion authorized by U.S. Congress to stabilize the U.S. territory’s grid and improve reliability has been spent in the seven years since Hurricane Maria hit the island as a Category 4 storm, said Robert Mujica, the board’s executive director.
“We need to move faster,” he said at the board’s public meeting. “The current situation … is not acceptable.”
A growing number of Puerto Ricans frustrated by the outages are demanding that the U.S. territory’s government cancel its contract with Luma Energy, which operates the transmission and distribution of power. Several gubernatorial candidates have echoed that call, but Mujica rejected such a move.
“We cannot go back to the old system,” he said as he recognized that Puerto Rico experiences “too many power failures.”
He added that if a viable alternative is not immediately available, it would only lead to further delays. He characterized conversations about canceling the contract as “premature” and said officials need to prioritize projects that can be completed immediately as he urged federal agencies to expedite approvals and waivers.
“Every day that these funds are not deployed is another day that the people of Puerto Rico are at risk of being without power,” Mujica said.
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, who attended the meeting, said the more than $17 billion was not “really available” until mid-2021, and that his administration has been “very creative in dealing with the bureaucratic hurdles” of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
He said his administration has been advancing money to contractors as one way to help speed up reconstruction of the grid, razed by Maria in September 2017.
Overall, Pierluisi said the government has spent 46% of FEMA funds on Maria-related reconstruction projects.
Not everyone can afford generators or solar panels on the island of 3.2 million people with a more than 40% poverty rate. Roughly 120,000 rooftop solar systems have been installed so far.
The push to move toward renewable energy on an island where fossil fuels generate about 94% of its electricity has drawn increased scrutiny to a net-metering law. In late July, the board filed a lawsuit challenging amendments to the law, which compensates solar-equipped households for their contributions to the grid.
As the board met on Wednesday, protesters gathered outside to demand that it withdraw the lawsuit, with organizers submitting a petition with 7,000 signatures in support.
Mujica said that as a result of the amendments, the independence of Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau has “come under attack.”
The amended law prohibits the bureau from making any changes to the net metering program until 2031, at the earliest, among other things.
The board has said it is not seeking to end net metering as alleged, nor impose changes to the net metering program. It noted that if it wins the lawsuit, there would be no changes to the island’s current rooftop solar program.
The lawsuit states that the net metering terms would affect demand for the power company’s service and revenues of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority, which is struggling to restructure more than $9 billion in debt.
veryGood! (5259)
Related
- Patricia Heaton criticizes media, 'extremists' she says 'fear-mongered' in 2024 election
- Inside Gymnast Olivia Dunne and MLB Star Paul Skenes’ Winning Romance
- Olympic women's soccer bracket: Standings and how to watch Paris Olympics quarterfinals
- Vanderpump Rules' Scheana Shay Slams Rude Candace Cameron Bure After Dismissive Meeting
- Messi breaks silence on Inter Miami's playoff exit. What's next for his time in the US?
- U.S. defense secretary rejects plea deal for 9/11 mastermind, puts death penalty back on table
- How Noah Lyles plans to become track's greatest showman at Paris Olympics and beyond
- Thistle & Nightshade bookstore pushes 'the boundaries of traditional representation'
- Mississippi governor intent on income tax cut even if states receive less federal money
- Analysis: Simone Biles’ greatest power might be the toughness that’s been there all along
Ranking
- Vermont man is fit to stand trial over shooting of 3 Palestinian college students
- International Seabed Authority elects new secretary general amid concerns over deep-sea mining
- Why M. Night Shyamalan's killer thriller 'Trap' is really a dad movie
- Kansas man sentenced to prison for stealing bronze Jackie Robinson statue
- Why Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams May Be Rejoining the George R.R. Martin Universe
- Gleyber Torres benched by Yankees' manager Aaron Boone for lack of hustle
- How US women turned their fortunes in Olympic 3x3 basketball: 'Effing wanting it more'
- How Noah Lyles plans to become track's greatest showman at Paris Olympics and beyond
Recommendation
-
Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day? Here's what to know
-
Gleyber Torres benched by Yankees' manager Aaron Boone for lack of hustle
-
Man dies parachuting on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
-
Idaho prosecutor says he’ll seek death penalty against inmate accused of killing while on the lam
-
As CFP rankings punish SEC teams, do we smell bias against this proud and mighty league?
-
Man dies parachuting on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
-
Iran says a short-range projectile killed Hamas’ Haniyeh and reiterates vows of retaliation
-
Paris Olympics highlights: Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky win more gold for Team USA