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The frail grid has been a precedence for Pierluisi’s administration, which oversaw the privatization of the operation of the island’s era, transmission and distribution of energy in extensively criticized strikes given persistent outages.
On Tuesday night, Pierluisi introduced that the U.S. Federal Emergency Administration Company accredited microgrid initiatives to produce 100% of energy to the neighboring islands of Vieques and Culebra, that are widespread with vacationers.
He additionally introduced $100 million in federal funds for a brand new voucher program focusing on the center class to finance as much as 30% of the prices of putting in battery-backed photo voltaic methods of their properties.
Pierluisi has pledged that Puerto Rico will ramp up from 3% to 40% renewable vitality by the tip of 2025, and 60% by 2040.
The governor additionally addressed issues over ongoing authorities corruption, with 10 Puerto Rican mayors prosecuted by federal authorities lately.
He urged the legislature to approve pending payments geared toward cracking down on corruption.
“Zero tolerance and nil impunity,” Pierluisi mentioned.
He additionally highlighted ongoing hurricane reconstruction efforts focusing on hospitals, properties, roads, faculties and different infrastructure that have been battered by hurricanes Maria and Fiona.
Pierluisi famous his administration has to this point helped greater than 7,400 households of the 12,000 nonetheless awaiting support for properties broken by Hurricane Maria, a strong Class 4 storm that struck the island in September 2017, razing the ability grid and destroying or damaging hundred of hundreds of properties.
Additional injury was brought on by Hurricane Fiona, a Class 1 storm that hit Puerto Rico’s southwest area in September 2022, sparking an island-wide blackout.
Pierluisi additionally unveiled a preliminary $31 billion price range, which nonetheless needs to be accredited by legislators and a federal management board that oversees the island’s funds. Puerto Rico introduced in 2015 that it was unable to pay its greater than $70 billion public debt load after which filed for the most important municipal chapter in historical past in 2017.
Pierluisi touted his administration’s achievements through the tackle, which comes as he prepares to run for a second time period subsequent yr in what many contemplate will probably be a extremely aggressive race.
“It’s apparent that the campaigning started,” mentioned Rafael Hernández, speaker of Puerto Rico’s Home and a member of the primary opposition Standard Democratic Occasion. “However there’s nonetheless a variety of work to be completed.”
José Luis Dalmau, president of Puerto Rico’s Senate and in addition a member of the primary opposition occasion, mentioned he was puzzled by the descriptions of Pierluisi’s achievements given the a number of challenges that many on the island of three.2 million individuals with a forty five% poverty price nonetheless face.
“It’s clear that the governor lives in one other Puerto Rico,” he mentioned.
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