Resident Commissioner Urges Puerto Rico Government to Pursue Plan B for Island’s Energy Generation Crisis

Click HEREto read and HEREto view the Resident Commissioner's House floor speech.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández renewed his call for immediate action to address Puerto Rico's escalating energy crisis, warning that the local government's failure to implement contingency plans has left the island vulnerable as selective blackouts begin.

"I acknowledged that the government of Puerto Rico had a Plan A: to bring in barges with temporary generation capacity and to repair old generation plants. I offered to support those goals and put my office at the local government's disposition to help accomplish them," said Hernández. "But I also said we needed a Plan B, in case Plan A failed."

Hernández reminded lawmakers that he had supported the government's efforts to bring temporary generation capacity to the island and repair aging plants, but also urged the development of a Plan B in case those measures fell short. Among the steps he proposed were:

• Greater transparency from utility companies;
• Public education and incentives to reduce energy demand; and
• Backup power systems for the most vulnerable residents.

"Last week, the government announced that the generation barges are no longer viable. One of the repaired units failed. And this week, over 100,000 customers lost power in a selective outage announced by LUMA, the utility company, that very same day, leaving them unprepared," said Hernández. "And where is Plan B? It doesn't exist."

Hernández shared the Puerto Rico Government's decisions to walk away from the very actions other administrations have taken to compensate and protect the Puerto Rican people from harm.

"Worse yet, the government is walking away from over 300 million dollars in federal appropriated funds for solar panels, and is walking away from a billion-dollar lawsuit against oil companies - a lawsuit that sought to compensate our people for environmental harm."

Hernández also expressed concern that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not provide assurances that the tens of billions in federal recovery funding already assigned to Puerto Rico would reach the island as promised.

"As I said in March: this administration, both the Puerto Rico administration and federal administration, did not create the energy crisis, but they are responsible if it worsens. They are responsible for fixing it. And right now they are failing."

Despite the challenges, Hernández reiterated his commitment to fight for energy security and accountability. This month, he led 14 Members of Congress urging the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water to increase fundingfor U.S. Department of Energy offices that support grid modernization in Puerto Rico, including the federal office that administers the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ER). He also requested bill language to accelerate the delivery of generation assets to the island.

"I sincerely hope that the government of Puerto Rico and the government of the United States correct the course. But no matter what, I will keep fighting for the people of Puerto Rico and for its energy future."

Click HEREto read and HEREto view the Resident Commissioner's House floor speech.

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