Cortez Masto, Heinrich, Murray, Resident Commissioner Hernández Criticize DOE for Illegally Cancelling Puerto Rico Energy Projects

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Pablo Hernández (D-Puerto Rico), sent a letter alongside 16 lawmakers to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) slamming the agency for illegally cancelling energy projects designated under the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund and requested that the cancelled awards be reinstated. Cortez Masto had previously led 19 Members of Congress in a letter to Energy Secretary Wright calling on the Trump Administration to reverse its decision to redirect funding from the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund.

"We write to express strong opposition to the Department of Energy's (DOE) decision to cancel the remaining projects under the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF)," the lawmakers began.

After making clear that the "cancellation of the obligated contracts was illegal," lawmakers stated, "Congress recognized that centralized grid investments alone failed to reach vulnerable households-and that distributed energy resources were necessary to protect the lives, health, and economic security of all Puerto Ricans when outages occur. This was enshrined in statute, which explicitly says funding shall be made available 'including grants for low- and moderate-income households and households that include individuals with disabilities for the purchase and installation of renewable energy, energy storage, and other grid technologies.'"

In conclusion, the lawmakers asked the Department of Energy to "immediately reverse course and reinstate the cancelled PR-ERF awards so that projects proceed as Congress intended."

Read the full letter here. Additional signatories include U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii.), and U.S. Representatives Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.).

The first and only Latina elected to the U.S. Senate, Senator Cortez Masto is committed to raising awareness about the needs of people in Puerto Rico. She has supported federal relief for Puerto Rico in the aftermath of devastating natural disasters and has pressed FEMA on their preparedness plans to protect Puerto Rico and the U.S. Islands during hurricane season. She has also previously introduced the Puerto Rico Status Act, legislation establishing a process for the people of Puerto Rico to determine the future of the island's political status.

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