A House Natural Resources Committee hearing on Puerto Rico’s persistent energy woes Thursday turned into a de facto campaign rally for gubernatorial candidate Jenniffer González-Colón as she grilled witnesses on the island’s deficient electric grid.
One after another, Republicans on the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs yielded their allotted speaking time to their colleague González-Colón, Puerto Rico’s non-voting representative in Congress, to allow her to interrogate leaders of the island’s beleaguered energy providers.
The subject of Puerto Rico’s rolling blackouts and generation shortfalls — a product of years of mismanagement and repeated damage from storms — is particularly timely. Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm, ravaged the island seven years ago this month, and the lasting legacy of its damage has become a focal point in the gubernatorial race.
Since Maria struck in 2017, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) has been unable to pull itself out of bankruptcy, resulting in private companies taking over management of the grid. Luma Energy has run transmission since 2021, and Genera PR has managed PREPA’s power plants since 2023.
