Hi,

The frequent, devastating loss of electrical power in Puerto Rico is unacceptable. Recently, Hurricane Fiona knocked out Puerto Rico’s entire electric grid, leading to widespread outages.1

This isn’t the first time the island has suffered from an unreliable electrical grid — in fact, after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, residents have experienced power grid failures on and off on a regular basis.2

Sign the petition: The Biden administration must fix Puerto Rico’s power grid and equip the island with sustainable, reliable, and resilient infrastructure.

More than 100 organizations in Puerto Rico and the Diaspora have called on President Biden to avoid the “human-made disaster” and “wasteful use of federal funds” that the U.S. government earmarked to fix Puerto Rico’s energy infrastructure.3 It’s past time for the Biden administration to take action.

Hurricane Maria killed 3,000 people and left some Puerto Rico residents without power for nearly a year. The efforts to address failures in the power grid have been slow to move forward — a big reason why now Hurricane Fiona could so easily knock out power across the island.

Part of the problem is the private consortium contracted to improve the grid: LUMA Energy. LUMA negotiated a 15-year contract with the Puerto Rican government “behind closed doors with no input from citizens.”4 The contract is part of an effort to privatize the electrical grid on the island. And LUMA has raised energy costs for residents, isn’t using renewable energy, and has been accused of abusing workers.5 This is not how to solve these problems.

The Biden administration must work with FEMA to immediately fix the island’s power grid so it’s not failing the people of Puerto Rico.

Sign our petition right now calling on the Biden administration to take immediate action to fix Puerto Rico’s power grid.

Thanks for taking action,

Tihi and the team at Demand Progress

Sources:

  1. The Washington Post, “Even before Fiona, Puerto Rico’s power grid was poised for failure,” September 19, 2022.
  2. The American Prospect, "Puerto Rico’s Electric Grid Is On-Again, Off-Again," August 19, 2022.
  3. Latino Rebels, "Open Letter to Biden Calls LUMA Contract in Puerto Rico a 'Dangerous Misuse of Public Funds'" June 22, 2021.
  4. Ibid.
  5. Waging Nonviolence, "Protesters demand end to Puerto Rico’s contract with LUMA Energy," July 22, 2022.

PAID FOR BY DEMAND PROGRESS (DemandProgress.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on Facebook or Twitter.

You can unsubscribe from this list at any time.