Territory’s voluntary move comes as Trump administration makes good on pledge to end lawsuits against oil and gas just two days after the US justice department sued two states over planned litigation against oil companies for their role in the climate crisis Puerto Rico’s lawsuit alleged that the oil and gas giants had misled the public about the climate dangers associated with their products It came as part of a wave of litigation filed by dozens of US states whose Democratic attorney general last year tapped private law firms to work on such a case whose Democratic governor filed its suit on Thursday Officials from both states condemned the justice department’s filings Friday’s filing from Puerto Rico did not list a reason for the lawsuit’s dismissal The Guardian has contacted the territory’s attorney general’s office for comment and asked whether it was related to the Trump administration’s moves on Wednesday Reached for comment, John Lamson, a spokesperson for the San Francisco-based law firm Sher Edling, which filed the 2024 suit on behalf of Puerto Rico said: “We serve under the direction and control of our clients in all of our representations.” Puerto Rico in November elected as governor the Republican Jenniffer González-Colón, a Trump ally. In February, González-Colón tapped Janet Parra-Mercado as the territory’s new attorney general Climate-accountability litigation has also faced recent attacks in the media. Last month, an oilfield services executive published an op-ed in Forbes saying the Puerto Rico lawsuit “may derail” efforts to improve grid reliability calling for an end to climate-focused “coordinated lawfare” “Their goal is to bankrupt energy companies or to leverage the threat of tort damages to force outcomes that would be disastrous for Puerto Rico and the rest of the nation,” AEI’s CEO AEI has attacked climate-focused legal efforts and has been linked to Leo a California-based trade association of commercial fishers voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit accusing big oil of climate deception seeking to hold them accountable for the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico withdrew its $1 billion climate lawsuit against the oil and gas industry on Friday following the Trump administration’s move to block two states from seeking legal damages for similar alleged environmental damages The notice to dismiss the suit was filed “without prejudice.” Jenniffer González Colón arrives in the VIP viewing area in Emancipation Hall for the Inauguration of Donald J (Photo by Jasper Colt – Pool/Getty Images) Trump, taking a firm stance against state-led climate initiatives that may inhibit domestic energy production, signed an executive order on April 8 directing the attorney general to “identify all State and local laws and practices” that might be “unconstitutional” or “burdening” energy production “An affordable and reliable domestic energy supply is essential to the national and economic security of the United States as well as our foreign policy,” the order reads Americans are better off when the United States is energy dominant.” President Donald Trump holds up an executive orders about classroom discipline in the Oval Office at the White House on April 23 “We have an obligation to the people of Hawaii to do everything in our power to fight deceptive practices from these fossil fuel companies that erode Hawaii’s public health natural resources and economy,” Hawaii Attorney General Lopez said in the release “The federal lawsuit filed by the Justice Department attempts to block Hawaii from holding the fossil fuel industry responsible for deceptive conduct that caused climate change damage to Hawaii,” he continued.” The American Energy Institute (AEI) sent a letter asking Puerto Rico Gov Jenniffer González-Colón to drop the lawsuit on April 25 writing that “climate lawfare threatens to derail your administration’s common-sense approach The climate plaintiffs are advancing a fundamentally neocolonial agenda They are steering Puerto Rico toward a ‘green’ energy future it did not choose — one that ignores the basic needs of its people who simply require cheap and reliable electricity.” “The American Energy Institute applauds the withdrawal of Puerto Rico’s climate lawsuit,” founder and CEO of AEI Jason Isaac wrote in a statement to the DCNF “This decisive step — taken shortly after our correspondence with Governor González-Colón — shows she’s putting Puerto Rico’s energy needs ahead of fringe climate ideology the Governor is backing President Trump’s energy dominance strategy and standing up for affordable It’s a big win for energy sanity and the people of Puerto Rico.” The Puerto Rico Department of Justice did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington You are already subscribed to Daily Caller A confirmation of your order has been sent to your email address Unlimited digital access to The Daily Caller Premium Article: Subscribe for $1 to read the rest Already have an account?Login Please create a free account to continue reading Already have an account?Login I have read and agree to the Terms of Use Honor Our Heroes Program: Verify your Active Military or First Responder Status for Additional Discounts Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF PATRIOTS MEMBERSHIP Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. Hope you’ll join us here every Saturday. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean mainland are reeling from the impact of deranged oval office mandates Puerto Rico is also hurting at the hands of President Donald Trump We addressed Trump’s “English only” executive order two weeks ago so now let’s review some of the other damage caused by Trump—and the responses from Puerto Ricans Poet and journalist Lola Rosario wrote an opinion piece for Prism in which she appropriately dubs the White House occupant “Hurricane Trump,” given the harm he has caused to Puerto Rico—both past and present Clearly, we have more than ample reason to be concerned about Trump’s second presidency Similarly, Vanessa Colón Almenas reported on the impact of Trump’s attacks on the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Centro de Periodismo Investigativo or the Center for Investigative Journalism In a four-paragraph press release FEMA announced the termination of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program and the cancellation of all applications from fiscal years 2020 to 2023 submitted by states and territories The Puerto Rico Agricultural Extension Service had proposed educating communities affected by landslides in the Río Grande de Añasco watershed Through workshops on soil stabilization using natural resources the initiative aimed to impact communities in Añasco The grant was nearly $1.6 million but had not been approved Here, the Daily Climate summed up CPI’s reporting: Trump administration policies are cutting climate and health research funding across Puerto Rico particularly affecting federal grants from NASA Researchers report they are being pressured to omit terms like “climate change” and “diversity” from proposals to avoid rejection which they say leads to censorship and self-censorship all crucial in a region increasingly affected by hurricanes and sea level rise Grist also responded to the CPI report pointing to all of the ways that Puerto Rico’s environment is in harm’s way as a direct result of Trump’s actions Community groups like Casa Pueblo are forging a path forward with renewables: And in the aftermath of the recent island-wide blackout, political anthropologist Yarimar Bonilla wrote an op-ed for The New York Times arguing for Puerto Rico’s independence Each flicker of the failing power grid reveals a deeper truth: the waning promise of American empire the hollow performance of local politicians and the growing conviction that Puerto Ricans must — and will — forge a different path citizenship begins to feel less like a shield The fear of becoming like Cuba might just be canceled out by the fear of becoming like Florida Bonilla is also the co-author of “Aftershocks of Disaster: Puerto Rico Before and After the Storm” with Professor Marisol LeBrón: She also made the short documentary “Aftermath of Disaster” with Juan Carlos Dávila, and it’s available to stream for free Thank you for joining me for the weekly roundup of Caribbean news I hope to see you in the comments section below to discuss more about the issues facing Puerto Rico Not signed up for Daily Kos yet? Create a free account Flying Squirrels infielder Sabin Ceballos saw his life within the movie “Straight Outta Compton” when he saw it for the first time, despite not speaking any English. Flying Squirrels infielder Sabin Ceballos saw his life within the movie “Straight Outta Compton” when he saw it for the first time, despite not speaking any English. The scenes depicting the California neighborhood were like Ceballos’ hometown in Puerto Rico. The rapping did not draw him in, it was the storyline of breaking away. “Where I come from, all the stuff you watch in the movies is what’s around me all the time,” Ceballos said. “So, separating yourself and trying to be different is a problem. If you’ve seen the movie, trying what they were trying back then was different and it became a problem. That’s why I identify with it.” Ceballos a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, mentioned that his neighborhood was not as dangerous as the film depicted Compton, but there was unsafe activity. The baseball field was his escape from the dangerous acts that occurred around his neighborhood. His focus was dedicated to baseball while on the field, and not his surroundings. “It’s something we deal with every day,” Ceballos said. “You have the field right here, but you also have those people around it too, so you don’t know what to expect. At the same time, you need to have your work going so you would rather forget about it and go to the field, do your thing and not focus on them. They don’t talk to you; you don’t talk to them, and you chill with it. It was always tense around the field.” Ceballos kept chasing after his baseball dreams and saw opportunities outside of Puerto Rico. He attended the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy & High School in Gurabo, which also produced current Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa, and played in tournaments in the United States. While at an event in Jupiter, Fla., Ceballos drew interest from the junior college level. His personal goal was to shoot straight for professional baseball, but a conversation with San Jacinto College in Texas changed that. “I was not focused on being a college player. But when their coach came to talk to me, he became one of the best people I ever met,” Ceballos said. “That day, I was like ‘Yeah, I want to play for him.’” Ceballos spent the 2021 and 2022 season with San Jacinto College and played in the JUCO World Series both seasons. He was named to the 2021 JUCO World Series All-Tournament Team and won the Jay Tolman Outstanding Defensive Player Award. After his first season in college baseball, Ceballos told his agent that he was not ready to play professionally, and mapped out a plan to go Division I. That’s when the University of Oregon came calling. The distance was significantly further away from Puerto Rico, and it prevented his family from visiting him more. Being away from his family weighed on him but Oregon’s program treated him well. In the 2023 season, he was named to the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team as a third baseman and named to the Pac-12 Conference All-Tournament Team. When the MLB Draft came around, he traveled back to Puerto Rico to be with his family, and they rented an Airbnb near the coast. “When the call came, I was actually at the pool, chilling and drinking a pina colada,” Ceballos said. “By the time that call came, I tried not to be stressed because those days are really stressful. That’s how I knew I was ready for the drive and all that kind of stuff because of the work I put in during the season.” The Atlanta Braves were on the other end of the phone call, selecting Ceballos in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft. His 2024 season started well with the High-A Rome Emperors of the South Atlantic League. When late July, and the trade deadline loomed, Ceballos’ next life-changing phone call brought shock. Initially, Ceballos suspected he was being released. It turned out the Braves were trading him to the San Francisco Giants, minutes before the official deadline. The trade sparked a reunion for him to go back to Oregon. The Eugene Emeralds, High-A affiliate of the Giants, shares University of Oregon’s baseball stadium, PK Park, with the institution. The team wanted him to be back to what was so sought after in the draft, and the perfect place to do it was on familiar turf. Ceballos is the lone Oregon Duck to return to PK Park as an Emerald since the team switched affiliates to the Giants in 2021. By being different and breaking away from the mold, Ceballos turned his dream into a career, featuring homecomings and now just two steps away from the majors. “Having all my people watching me again and people that knew me from college, yeah 100% the adrenaline got up,” Ceballos said. “That’s something that changed my career.” Favorite baseball atmospheres? – PK Park in Oregon, playing in Mexico and Winter Ball in Puerto Rico Who was your favorite baseball player growing up? – Alex Rodriguez Are you a cat guy or dog guy? – Dog guy, I have three. French bulldog and Pit Bull mix, Rottweiler and a mini doodle that is not mini anymore What is your favorite dish to cook? – A Special Ceballos Chicken Best movie of all time? – Straight Outta Compton Most inspirational person in your life? – 100% my family Copyright ©2025 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Considerable cloudiness. Low 76F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. The Puerto Rico Ports Authority (APPR) has launched an initiative to bolster cybersecurity measures at the island’s port and airport facilities. Executive Director Norberto Negrón announced that all concessionaires operating under the public corporation have been asked to submit a certification verifying the implementation of a Cybersecurity Security Plan. This step aims to address national security concerns, as critical infrastructure such as ports and airports is increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. According to the 2024 Annual Port State Control Report by the United States Coast Guard, cyberattacks on support networks remain the leading threat to port security. Data from the Federal Aviation Agency (circa 2023) indicates that 55 percent of organizations involved in airport operations, both international and regional, experienced some form of cyberattack, with ransomware being the most frequent method. In Puerto Rico, the Office of Innovation and Technology Services (PRITS) reported 340 million attempted cyberattacks in 2023 — a 36.2 percent increase from 2022 and more than double the figure reported in 2021. The island ranks as the fifth U.S. jurisdiction with the highest number of attempted cyberattacks. Negrón stated that in cases where a concessionaire does not yet possess the required certification, meetings will be held with PRITS and the respective operator to assess support options. The goal is to prevent cybercriminals from disrupting operations or stealing sensitive employee and customer data. Once all certifications are collected, the APPR will convene a forum with concessionaires to discuss future cybersecurity measures and strategies. Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: X"When someone asks where I’m from, I hesitate. I pause, not because I don’t know the answer, but because I do, and it doesn’t fit into a neat little box," writes Ginger Roger Ceballos. (Courtesy of Ginger Roger Ceballos) and others thinking and writing about public education.When people ask me where I’m from Here’s what I wish I could say: I was born in Puerto Rico I’m the youngest daughter of a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father I spent the first six years of my life walking to the beach after school spending my days with the neighborhood kids and soaking up a language and culture that still lives within me today my mom packed up our lives and brought us to New York City my days were filled with subway rides and bodega cats I left behind a piece of myself when I got on that flight from San Juan I’ve never quite felt like I belong in any category Chalkbeat New York is bringing thousands of subscribers the news on public schools and education policy that they need to start their day Sign up for our free newsletter to join them By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. You may also receive occasional messages from sponsors I’m also a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a student. As the poet Walt Whitman easily put it: “I contain multitudes.” but our culture is nothing like it is on the mainland My mom is fully Dominican and immigrated to Puerto Rico before I was born But moving to New York City wasn’t like moving to a different state I had to learn a different language and different customs and practically a whole other world beneath its streets and you can’t get a better one than from the island my accent mixes Dominican and Puerto Rican dialects you know straight away that I’m from New York City and the city streets of New York — they are all so different from each other but they come together to make me who I am I have family and homes in all three locales That said, I am more familiar with some places than others. I know the streets of Santurce and New York City like the back of my hand But if you dropped me off near where my mom grew up in the Dominican Republic I probably wouldn’t make it 10 steps without getting lost I’m scared sometimes of losing the parts of myself that don’t feel as strong as they used to There are times when I visit family back in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and realize I’ve forgotten simple words in Spanish my tongue tangled in a language that used to come so easily to me I wish I lived closer to the islands because the distance sometimes makes me feel like an outsider when I’m there during school breaks Still, there are moments that make me forget I ever felt that way. Like the summer night in Dorado, Puerto Rico when my family and I sat at a small beachside restaurant with the sound of waves in the background and live bachata and as I watched in amazement at how their bodies moved and how happy they all looked my cousin grabbed my hand and pulled me up to dance I had begged my mom to teach me how to dance back in middle school I never had the courage to dance in front of anyone — too scared to embarrass myself and convinced other people would think I’m “not Latina enough.” But that night Reminding me that I am made up of more than where I live or how I speak In New York City, the closest you’ll get to feeling like you’re in the Caribbean is going to the Dominican hair salon. As a little girl, this is the only place where I was surrounded by grown-ups speaking the same Spanish we do at home — gossiping, gushing over my hair, and asking when I would next go to the Dominican Republic. The smell of the blower, the sound of Milly Quezada on the loudspeaker and the feeling of my hair being wrapped tightly onto rolos I felt so safe being surrounded by women who carried the island with them wherever they went That’s why I hold on tightly to all that makes me who I am, even if it’s just cooking locrio on the stove or choosing to say something in Spanish instead of English I’m learning that I don’t need to be enough for anyone my identity lives in the mezcla of accents and the way my history and family walk with me every day Ginger Roger Ceballos is a high school junior at Manhattan Early College for Advertising and the importance of forging her own path she embraces the rich cultures that have come together to shape her identity CHALKBEAT IS A CIVIC NEWS COMPANY NEWSROOM ©2025 By Lesley Clark | 05/05/2025 06:11 AM EDT The move came days after the Justice Department sued two states over their legal challenges against the oil and gas industry was under pressure from conservatives to drop the island's climate case Puerto Rico has withdrawn its $1 billion climate lawsuit against the oil and gas industry days after the Trump administration sued two states in an effort to block climate litigation District Court for the District of Puerto Rico the government said it “voluntarily dismisses this entire case.” It did not elaborate which was signed by the government’s local counsel and California-based Sher Edling a law firm that represents a number of communities that have filed similar lawsuits said it would dismiss the case “without prejudice” — allowing for it to be refiled The government did not respond to requests for comment A spokesperson for Sher Edling said the firm serves “under the direction and control our clients in all of our representations.” Request a FREE trial to receive unlimited access to Bnamericas Published: Monday, May 05, 2025 Energy Storage 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region 102,000+ key contacts related to companies and projects news and interviews about your industry in English With thousands of new smart-enabled solar homes joining the grid each month responsive network that can help manage grid fluctuations in real time PJ Wilson is president of the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico’s electric grid has long struggled with reliability high costs and vulnerability to natural disasters the island is experiencing a surge in distributed energy: about 4,000 homes are connecting new rooftop solar and battery systems to the grid each month This rapid adoption is not only providing relief to families — it’s actively improving grid stability thanks to smart inverter standards now required for all systems installed since Jan Yet, the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico (FOMB) is pursuing a lawsuit that could undermine the net metering policy driving this transformation The FOMB’s legal challenge targets Puerto Rico’s law extending net metering through 2030 Net metering is the policy that ensures solar households are fairly credited for excess energy sent to the grid — a key incentive that has enabled more than 10% of Puerto Rican homes to install solar and batteries the FOMB’s lawsuit risks stalling a policy that has broad support from lawmakers net metering is essential to making solar affordable and accessible especially as the centralized grid remains unreliable A frequent concern about rapid rooftop solar adoption is the potential for grid instability all new solar installations must use advanced smart inverter settings enabling these systems to help regulate voltage and frequency This ensures that as more distributed resources come online they contribute to grid stability rather than undermine it This is the kind of flexibility and resilience utilities nationwide are seeking as they integrate higher levels of renewables Puerto Rico’s energy crisis is about more than technology — it’s about equity and resilience Net metering has empowered working-class families to take control of their energy future Undermining this policy could chill investment slow progress toward Puerto Rico’s 100% renewable energy goal and leave the grid — and its customers — more vulnerable Puerto Rico’s distributed solar boom is a rare success story in the energy transition — a community-driven effort that is strengthening both resilience and grid stability The FOMB’s lawsuit is a distraction from the urgent work of grid modernization and distributed energy integration If Puerto Rico is to achieve true energy security Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts “There is simply no physical way that wind solar and batteries could replace the myriad uses of natural gas,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said at S&P Global’s CERAWeek The Southwestern grid operator could need up to to 48 GW of new wind generation, 130 GW of solar and 59 GW of battery storage in the next quarter century Subscribe to the Utility Dive free daily newsletter The free newsletter covering the top industry headlines Distribute Your News Directly to Readers and Internet Search Widespread Integration into Global News Publications Industry Specific to Reporters and Trade Publications Delivered Over News Wires Geographic & Topic Specific � Mattia Binotto becomes Head of Audi F1 Project and will be responsible for overall development while Jonathan Wheatley will lead the race operations as Team Principal � Development of race car (chassis) and power unit for F1 debut in 2026 under central management � Christian Foyer becomes COO at Audi Formula Racing GmbH Audi is aligning its Formula 1 project … 2025 Live on NBC Acura at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca � Acura Motorsports and Honda Racing Corporation USA have a long successful history at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca recording 19 victories�more than at any other racing circuit�in Camel Lights Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) in collaboration with MaRS Discovery District is extending support for the inaugural cohort of the Mobility Unlimited Hub a program designed to help startups scale groundbreaking active mobility solutions � Alstom and SL enter a five-year support agreement for digital systems in the Movia C20 and C30 metro fleets � The agreement includes 24/7 monitoring and systems for real-time train performance analysis � The partnership ensures long-term digital reliability and a modern The captivating novel The Great Great Aunts from Prussia by Robert Beckstedt will be featured by the self-publishing and book marketing company ReadersMagnet at two prominent book events this April in California: the Los Angeles Book Confab on April 23-24 at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City in Universal City and the 2025 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books … The inspirational book Bible Sticks: An Unlikely Calling by Ron Vance will be displayed by the self-publishing and book marketing company ReadersMagnet at the 40th Annual Printers Row Lit Fest Lead-based paints were banned for residential use in Puerto Rico and across the rest of the United States in 1978 many homes built before then still have some lead-based paint in them Most people don�t recognize that they come in proximity to products and materials that may contain mercury on a regular basis and that it only takes a small amount to pose a serious health risk Commercial banks in Africa and Latin America trail Asian counterparts in addressing critical environmental and social risks � particularly climate change and nature loss � but can lead green growth and transition according to new WWF Sustainable Banking Assessment (SUSBA) reports Nature as an Economic Choice | Full session Championing Nature as an Economic Choice On April 24 Head of Sustainable Sourcing and Nature Initiatives at Kering took the stage to explore the theme "Nature as an Economic Choice." The panel addressed the urgent need to transform ecosystems from intangible treasures into measurable assets – A Fairport grandmother is in dire straits in Puerto Rico after falling ill during a family vacation for Easter She has been in hospitals and an ICU for more than two weeks and her family says she has no safe way out The family is desperate to get their grandmother back to her doctors at Strong Memorial Hospital but being in Puerto Rico is complicating their insurance and Medicare “I think it’s pretty dire,” said Alexa Bergstrom-LaDuke who is with her sick mother in Puerto Rico Bergstrom-LaDuke flew with her mother and children to Puerto Rico for Easter she started a cell transplant regimen and showed signs of remission in March Bergstrom fell ill and is now in critical condition Unfortunately the only way that is the safe way for her to get home is by air ambulance,” said Bergstrom-LaDuke News10NBC: “So how much would an air ambulance cost out of pocket?” Alexa Bergstrom-LaDuke: “An air ambulance costs The situation is further complicated because Bergstrom-LaDuke says Medicare won’t pay for an air ambulance from Puerto Rico to Rochester and her mother’s international coverage on her United Health insurance policy won’t either Bergstrom-LaDuke: “They consider Puerto Rico part of the United States and not international So Medicare considers it not to be part of the U.S And United Healthcare considers it to be part of the U.S Berkeley Brean: “What worries you the most right now?” Alexa Bergstrom-LaDuke: “Everything worries me I am terrified that my mom is going to die in Puerto Rico.” “I tell her every day ‘I just want you to picture us at University of Rochester Medical Center and the flurry of doctors and nurses that will occur as soon as you get wheeled in there,'” said Bergstrom-LaDuke News10NBC contacted Medicare and they are looking into the situation Congressman Joe Morelle’s office was also called and his constituent team is looking into it There is a GoFundMe account to help pay for the air ambulance which has raised more than $21,000 since April 18 AI assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News 10 uses AI Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public file should contact Richard Reingold at rreingold@whec.com or 585-546-1701 An official website of the United States government ( Español ) Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More — What was meant to be a celebratory vacation to Puerto Rico turned into a nightmare.  and two grandchildren arrived at the beginning of April “She also had an altered mental state where she was refusing to eat and drink So I knew that she was getting dehydrated and I used an ambulance service here to take her to one hospital,” said Alexa Bergstrom LaDuke Jerry was diagnosed with cancer about three and a half years ago her daughter Alexa was hopeful things were getting better after she did CAR-T cell therapy at Wilmot Cancer Center and even received the OK from her doctors to fly “She did the Car-T cell and came out of the hospital as though nothing had happened we sat and watched Netflix until 1:00 in the morning ‘Nobody would ever know what you’ve been through in the last week But now Jerry hasn’t been out of bed for over 19 days and is stuck in a Puerto Rican ICU with the only way of getting home not covered by her insurance.  “Medicare Plan B will cover air ambulances up to 80% And she has a supplemental health insurance with UnitedHealthcare has a foreign travel benefit package that will cover 80% of the air ambulance travel and whatever Medicare doesn’t cover but they don’t consider Puerto Rico foreign,” said Alexa Making it a gray area as to what kind of coverage Jerry has in Puerto Rico.  Alexa said paying for an air ambulance out of pocket could cost more than $50,000 The difference with the air ambulance is that not only does it come with an R.N but she can stay in a stretcher the entire flight she can only hope for a miracle to bring her mom home to New York and her grandchildren “My mom is a very involved grandmother to Kinsley and Cayden My daughter is 12 years old and my son is 10 years old We’ve never been separated for longer than four days,” Alexa said Puerto Rico (AP) — Crews worked early Thursday to restore power to Puerto Rico after a blackout that hit the entire island affected the main international airport hospitals and hotels filled with Easter vacationers The outage that began past noon Wednesday left 1.4 million customers without electricity and more than 400,000 without water Officials expected 90% of customers to have power back within 48 to 72 hours after the outage “This is a shame for the people of Puerto Rico that we have a problem of this magnitude,” said Gov who cut her weeklong vacation short and returned to Puerto Rico on Wednesday evening She said it would take at least three days to have preliminary information on what might have caused the blackout forced hundreds of businesses to close and left those unable to afford generators scrambling to buy ice and candles “There’s still a long road of recovery,” she said It’s the second island-wide blackout to hit Puerto Rico in less than four months with the previous one occurring on New Year’s Eve “Why on holidays?” griped José Luis Richardson who did not have a generator and kept cool by splashing water on himself every couple of hours The roar of generators and smell of fumes filled the air as a growing number of Puerto Ricans renewed calls for the government to cancel the contracts with Luma Energy which oversees the transmission and distribution of power “That is not under doubt or question,” she said “It is unacceptable that we have failures of this kind.” González said a major outage like the one that occurred Wednesday leads to an estimated $230 million revenue loss daily READ MORE: Puerto Rico’s new governor takes office amid anger following major blackout a nonprofit that represents small- and medium-sized businesses warned that ongoing outages would spook potential investors at a time when Puerto Rico urgently needs economic development “We cannot continue to repeat this cycle of blackouts without taking concrete measures to strengthen our energy infrastructure,” he said Many also were concerned about Puerto Rico’s elderly population with the mayor of Canóvanas deploying brigades to visit the bedridden and those who depend on electronic medical equipment the mayor of Vega Alta opened a center to provide power to those with lifesaving medical equipment It was not immediately clear what caused the shutdown the latest in a string of major blackouts on the island in recent years One possibility is that overgrown vegetation affected the grid the island’s energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority He noted that the authority flew daily to check on certain lines Colón said Luma also needs to explain why all the generators shut down after there was a failure in the transmission system when only one was supposed to go into protective mode He said in a press conference Thursday that he did not immediately have details on when the company last did an air patrol but said those occur with the frequency established in its contract said Wednesday that a disturbance hit the transmission system shortly after noon a time when the grid is vulnerable because there are few machines regulating frequency at that hour Puerto Rico has struggled with chronic outages since September 2017 when Hurricane Maria pummeled the island as a powerful Category 4 storm razing a power grid that crews are still struggling to rebuild The grid already had been deteriorating as a result of decades of a lack of maintenance and investment © 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres introduced legislation Thursday aimed at lowering energy costs for residents of Puerto Rico and other noncontiguous parts of the United States a century old law which mandates that the transport of cargo between U.S Under Torres’ bill, oil and other energy products transported to Hawaii Guam and Puerto Rico would be exempt from Jones Act restrictions Ed Case of Hawaii and Delegate James Moylan of Guam are also sponsoring the legislation “The Jones Act has become a barrier to energy access and affordability in noncontiguous regions and it’s time to change that,” Torres said in a statement “The Noncontiguous Energy Relief and Access Act is a common-sense reform that will lower energy costs and bring long-overdue relief to millions of Americans who are unfairly burdened by these constraints.” The Jones Act was created with the goal of boosting the U.S both to support commercial activity and ensure there is a fleet that can transport supplies in times of war or emergency Critics say the law has contributed to higher costs because there are not enough vessels that are Jones Act-compliant, forcing places like Puerto Rico to look outside the U.S. for resources and energy products.  Data compiled by the Cato Institute shows nearly all the liquified natural gas that Puerto Rico imported in 2019 2020 and 2021 came from foreign countries Temporary waivers to the Jones Act have been issued in the past, including after Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico and Superstorm Sandy hit the Northeast U.S. And there have been calls for its permanent repeal in the past, including by the late Sen. John McCain argued the Jones Act uniquely punishes the people he represents in Hawaii “The result is federally created monopolies on our community lifelines and resulting extortionist shipping prices passed through to sky-high costs for food “By exempting energy shipments from the Jones Act targeted relief to Americans who bear its harshest consequences “This legislation aims to lower energy costs for families and businesses in noncontiguous states and territories and improve access to critical energy infrastructure.” The Metropolitan Cathedral and Minor Basilica of Saint John the Baptist in Old San Juan Francis of Assisi once heard Our Lord tell him “Go and rebuild My church.” Since that time there have been countless efforts to restore and renew the treasure that Christ left us in his Church An enormous new effort in Puerto Rico recalls those words of Christ’s as the vast recovery program will impact more than 600 Catholic churches and other church facilities across 5 dioceses of Puerto Rico the leadership of the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico unveiled the comprehensive inter-diocesan recovery program The Catholic Extension Society (CES) is spearheading the project with help from $400 million made available by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) chancellor of the nonprofit Catholic Extension Society said the following at the announcement event: After Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017 Pope Francis sent me here to offer his support and encouragement to the Puerto Rican people and Church leaders I have returned numerous times to monitor the progress of our efforts to restore Catholic churches and schools through the Catholic Extension Society's Recovery Program we expanded the recovery program to include more parishes and schools We know that by rebuilding churches and schools we are not only serving the Catholic community This recovery project will generate a far-reaching economic benefiting many communities and future generations The recovery program is estimated to take five to seven years to complete It not only will generate nearly 7,000 jobs but also will strengthen Catholic infrastructure allowing for greater spiritual and charitable care on an island where nearly 45% of the population lives in poverty The reinforced Catholic Church buildings will provide greater shelter and security to save lives in the face of future disasters continued to operate daily without electricity while courageously responding to the humanitarian needs of their local communities This very challenging situation led the dioceses of Puerto Rico to ask CES to lead the establishment of an island-wide recovery program the organization began a close collaboration with the dioceses of Puerto Rico to make possible this extensive reconstruction effort Catholic Extension Society is a nonprofit organization within the Catholic Church whose mission is to work in solidarity with people to build up vibrant and transformative Catholic faith communities among the poor in the poorest regions of the United States and Puerto Rico Catholic Extension Society has been supporting the Church in Puerto Rico for the past 120 years chief mission officer at Catholic Extension Catholic Extension Society is leading the largest recovery project in American Christianity The project will impact not just the Church but Puerto Rican society as well.” Francis found enormous success in his efforts to restore Christ's Church we pray for great success in this rebuilding project so that the people of Puerto Rico may enjoy a renewed and restored Church Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you Please make a tax-deductible donation today Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), a non-profit working to accelerate the adoption of clean energy, has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for five energy resilience hubs to be built in Puerto Rico Each hub will serve a vulnerable community and include at least 5 kW of photovoltaic generation and a 13 kWh alternating current battery energy storage system (BESS) The resilience hubs will power critical loads like food and medication refrigeration portable batteries and portable medical equipment Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico’s aged grid infrastructure in 2017 and grid reliability has been an issue ever since the entire island was plunged into darkness for days after system failures In 2024, Eaton launched a microgrid at its Arecibo manufacturing facility that will deliver 10 GWh of clean energy annually In April, maritime transport firm Crowley announced it would install a microgrid powered by liquified natural gas at a key logistics terminal in Puerto Rico The resilience hubs will be funded by a grant from the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) in collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus and provide free of charge to the communities This is the second part of a multi-year commitment from the DOE to fund energy resilience projects in Puerto Rico IREC installed five similar hubs in 2024.  The RFP, including technical details, timelines and other information can be viewed here The proposal submission deadline is May 30 IREC notes that applications written in Spanish are strongly preferred I work as a writer and special projects editor for Microgrid Knowledge I have over 30 years of writing experience working with a variety of companies in the renewable energy I have a BFA in Media Arts from the University of Arizona and a MBA from the University of Denver Flash floods swamped roads across Puerto Rico on Monday as days of heavy rain continued Attempts to rescue one driver ended in tragedy in San Juan We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good We may use or share your data with our data vendors The Weather Channel is the world's most accurate forecaster according to ForecastWatch, Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed There's nothing more honest than PJ Sin Suela rapping about his island From his early days competing in cyphers and hosting rap parties in med school he has used hip-hop as a vehicle to express both a love for his home and his frustrations living there PJ Sin Suela is one rapper in a long lineage from the island who have either overtly or subtly voiced pain points from the island in their music This week PJ Sin Suela joined with Anamaria to walk us through that history — hip-hop's use as protest on the island — and where it sits in comparison to what is now the island's globally recognized export Become an NPR sponsor a Caribbean archipelago under United States colonial jurisdiction for over a century faces one of the most economically debilitating policies ever imposed on its people: the Jones Act Officially known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 law requires all goods transported between U.S ports to be carried on ships that are built in the U.S. While proponents have long cited national security and maritime industry protection as justifications the reality for Puerto Rico has been persistent economic strangulation and the stifling of its own shipping and energy industries The recent article “Puerto Rico Pays More for American Energy Than Its Neighbor” by Dylan Landon (Reason Magazine laying bare the harmful consequences of the Jones Act on Puerto Rico’s energy access and economic development The piece underscores a disturbing irony: the Dominican Republic liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports than Puerto Rico not because of geography or infrastructure but because it is not shackled by the Jones Act As detailed in both Landon’s exposé and my book Puerto Rico: The Economic Case for Sovereignty Puerto Rico pays a steep price for its colonial condition Due to the Jones Act’s stringent requirements no U.S.-flagged LNG carriers were available for over a century Only through a rare and desperate loophole - the acquisition of an old 31-year-old French-built ship by Crowley Maritime - was Puerto Rico finally able to import U.S A temporary bandage on a festering and infected colonial wound are in essence a “colonial maritime tax” by a U.S shipping cartel that are passed directly onto Puerto Rican consumers even Puerto Rico’s own energy contracts include Jones Act clauses noting that repealing or bypassing the Act would instantly reduce LNG prices by up to 8% But repealing the Jones Act is politically unlikely in Washington The only truly viable and sovereign solution is to exit the colonial condition altogether – and that means independence No longer forced to use and rely solely on U.S.-built and crewed vessels Puerto Rico’s geostrategic location at the crossroads of Atlantic and Caribbean trade routes makes it a natural maritime gateway Independence would allow Puerto Rico to leverage this geographic advantage creating a national shipping policy designed to maximize competitiveness and connectivity across the region The continued application of the Jones Act in Puerto Rico is not only unjust - it is economically irrational and undermines regional energy competitiveness Independence is not a rupture with the United States; it is a realignment and modernization of relations based on mutual benefit independence allows Puerto Rico to engage with the world on equal footing free from the colonial-era laws that have harmed it for generations The maritime and energy sectors are perhaps the clearest areas where independence would deliver immediate measurable gains - not just for Puerto Rico The opinions expressed here are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions or beliefs of the LA Progressive. Nearly 620,000 are still without power in Puerto Rico on Thursday more than 24 hours after the entire island lost electricity when its power plants were knocked out of service the latest breakdown of the territory’s faulty electric grid PUERTO RICO: The Condado tourist zone in San Juan awoke to a general island power outage .. More after Hurricane Fiona struck the Caribbean nation on September 19 Luma Energy, Puerto Rico’s electricity distributer, says it has restored power to more than 850,000 customers The outage began at approximately 12:40 p.m The blackout affected more than 1.4 million customers in Puerto Rico, The New York Times reported Flights from Luis Muñoz Marín Airport, located near San Juan, were operating normally as of 7:55 a.m. EDT on Thursday, according to a post from the airport’s X account which said power has been completely restored Late Wednesday afternoon the airport was running on generators due to the island-wide outage Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts.  Forbes Community GuidelinesOur community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's Terms of Service.  We've summarized some of those key rules below Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain: User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in: Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's Terms of Service. Puerto Rico — Authorities in Puerto Rico said they rescued three U.S tourists on Friday as heavy rains continue to pelt the U.S Police said in a statement that floodwaters left two men and one woman stranded at the Gozalandia River a popular recreational spot in the western town of San Sebastián was swept away by the current but was rescued Flood advisories and flash flood warnings were in place for several cities and towns across the island on Friday Heavy rains began falling across Puerto Rico a week ago and are forecast to continue for several more days They have unleashed landslides while floodwaters have knocked down trees and cut off access to dozens of roads Get the latest breaking news as it happens By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy a man who tried to drive his car through floodwaters was swept away and killed The incident occurred in the city of Bayamón Jenniffer González declared a state of emergency in four municipalities while the mayor of San Juan did the same for the capital Trump's influence on NY's future .. Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV Get more on these and other NewsdayTV stories The Newsday app makes it easier to access content without having to log in Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. The bad news: You've hit your limit of free articles.The good news: You can receive full access below.WORLDteen | Ages 11-14 | $35.88 per year Puerto Rico is having a tourist moment. In 2024, over six million passengers arrived by air. Many came to visit the white beaches, blue waters, and green rainforest. What’s helping drive the tourist industry uptick? Analysts say female entrepreneurs could be part of the answer. Women have become the face of Puerto Rico’s tourism growth. They’re leading businesses that boost the economy. And they’re preserving Puerto Rican heritage, flavors, and natural beauty for the future. Analysts say several things have changed attitudes toward Puerto Rico. First, slick ads pushing Boricua—love and pride for the island—flood media outlets. Increased flight options to the Caribbean island have helped too. Hello, nonstop from 23 U.S. cities! But in this nation of over three million, some say it’s women’s efforts that have changed attitudes the most. Their influence can be seen in homes, businesses, and communities. Tourism supports more than 100,000 hotel, food, and transportation jobs in Puerto Rico. Island visitors want to see the standard sites: gorgeous waterfalls, naturally glowing bays, and lush forests. But they’re also seeking experiences filled with local flavor. Enter Puerto Rican women. They’re expanding the tourism industry itself by offering niche experiences. Small women-led ventures are alternatives to big-biz tourism. Former teacher Decenia Vega turned her love of cacao into a thriving business. Tours of Cacao 360 educate visitors on sustainable farming from bean to bar. At the same time, they offer an authentic (and literal!) taste of Puerto Rico’s centuries-old chocolate heritage. Tour guide Gloricel Escribano’s company runs bird-watching, coffee-tasting, and beekeeping tours. Each focuses on education and well-being. Plus, sightseers leave the island with a deeper connection to its rich culture. The influence of Puerto Rican women is further evident in the restaurant sector. Female chefs and entrepreneurs like Brenda Calderón dish up fresh, local specialties. Her Casilda Cocina Creativa & Sunset Rooftop restaurant boasts views of Old San Juan and serves local ingredients in an upscale, creative way. Meanwhile, award-winning chef Natalia Vallejo is reshaping another part of the island’s food scene. Her Cocina al Fondo sources goods from area farmers, fishers, even her own garden. The Bible exalts the value of every human made in God’s image. A woman who follows the biblical example in Proverbs 31 rises to the challenges of hard work. She contributes to and blesses everyone around her. Puerto Rico’s women-led businesses blend tradition with new ideas—and ensure Puerto Rico remains a vibrant tourist spot. Why? Initiative and hard work can help anyone thrive at home, work, and in community. After you've read all four Ka-ching! stories, test your knowledge by taking the quiz! © 2024 WORLDteen | 828-435-2982 | memberservices@wng.org Reporting by Ricardo Arduengo; additional reporting by Kylie Madry; Editing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Anthony Esposito Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Crews working to restore power to Puerto Ricans after an island-wide blackout had more than half of customers back up and running a day later when the Puerto Rico Governor's Office said a failure in the transmission of the electrical system plunged 1.4 million customers into darkness Puerto Rico is frequently plagued by power outages with the most recent island-wide event on New Year's Eve taking days to resolve Jenniffer González-Colón called the transmission issue "unacceptable." It could take between 48 and 72 hours for power to be restored to about 90% of customers, according to Luma Energy, the private company that operates power transmission and distribution. By the afternoon of April 17, more than 843,800 customers, or 57.5%, had their power restored, the company said in an update the company that generates power on the island said on April 16 that the outage was due to the sudden shutdown of all generating plants including the company's plants and other private generators The blackout came as Puerto Rico residents prepare to celebrate the Easter holiday weekend and the territory celebrates the holiday all week some in the capital of San Juan dined by candlelight at restaurants while others flocked to stores to buy bags of ice to keep food in refrigerators cool Make your journey safer and smarter: Sign up for USA TODAY's Travel newsletter Island faces frequent power disruptionsPuerto Rico's often-failing power infrastructure has left its residents without power for extended periods in recent years The New Year's Eve 2024 outage was a rolling blackout that affected about 1.2 million customers Hurricane Maria in 2017 did damage to the island's power grid that persists years later The Category 4 storm wiped out power that took nearly a year to completely restore The most recent blackout renewed calls for the Puerto Rican government to cancel its contracts with Luma and Genera PR, according to the Associated Press González-Colón said the process to cancel the contract with Luma and find possible replacements would not be quick The outage began the afternoon of April 16 Luma said one of the island's plants was back online which identified that the outage was "caused by a combination of factors," Luma said A preliminary analysis revealed there was a failure in the protection system and vegetation was discovered on a transmission line between the barrio of Cambalache and municipality of Manatí when Luma said 57.5% of customers had power 72 of telecommunications facilities and 76% of correctional institutions An island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the largely Catholic residents of the U.S territory prepared to celebrate the Easter weekend Customers sit inside a restaurant lit by battery-powered lanterns during an island-wide power outage Vehicles navigate a dark street in Old San Juan Headlights illuminate cobblestone streets in Old San Juan A gas station employee directs traffic as cars line up for fuel during an island-wide blackout in San Juan Drivers fill up fuel containers at a gas station during an island-wide blackout in San Juan A local fills fuel containers at a gas station in San Juan crews had restored power to 175,000 customers Those affected included the main international airport and several hospitals and at least 328,000 customers were without water with thousands of tourists celebrating Easter vacations on the island Tourism officials rushed to reassure them that many hotels and other businesses were operating with generators Officials said 90% of clients would likely have electricity 48 to 72 hours after the blackout occurred Thousands of Puerto Ricans were fuming over the latest outage with many renewing their calls that the government cancel the contract with Luma and Genera PR which oversees generation of power on the island “This is a total disaster,” said Orlando Huertas as he sipped a drink with a friend at a streetside bar and criticized the government for not doing enough to tackle the chronic outages Dozens of people were forced to walk on an overpass next to the rails of the rapid transit system that serves the capital while scores of businesses including the biggest mall in the Caribbean were forced to close Professional baseball and basketball games were cancelled as the hum of generators and smell of smoke filled the air Traffic became snarled as police officers were deployed to busy intersections Reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny echoed the collective rage writing on X: “When are we going to do something?” The governor pledged late Wednesday that she would cancel the contract with Luma but noted that while government officials have started analyzing the contract and finding possible replacements González also said that she has requested an in-depth investigation into the blackout noting that officials already have warned there won’t be enough generation of power for this summer “Puerto Rico can’t be the island where the power goes out all the time,” González said While power restoration on the main island of Puerto Rico was moving slowly to protect equipment emergency generation stations restored power to the tiny neighboring island of Culebra and parts of neighboring Vieques the island’s so-called energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority Those without generators crowded around grocery stores and other businesses to buy ice across Puerto Rico My generator is broken,” said Carmen Suriel who worried about the impact of the blackout on her two children a six-month-old and a five-year-old with Down syndrome as the temperature rose across Puerto Rico on Wednesday said she was frustrated with the constant outages some of which had already damaged her TV and microwave “They have to improve,” she said of the government Roughly 117,000 homes and businesses on the island have solar rooftops petroleum-fired power plants provide 62% of Puerto Rico’s power said at a news conference that a disturbance hit the transmission system shortly after noon on Wednesday during a time when the grid is vulnerable because there are not many machines regulating frequency at that hour acting governor and secretary of state for Puerto Rico said the White House reached out to local officials and said they are available if needed said he would work to ensure that “Washington understands the real and urgent situation Puerto Ricans face every day.” it feels like it’s going from bad to worse,” he said Crews once again worked to restore power in Puerto Rico after a massive blackout the latest to the strike the island's beleaguered power grid An islandwide blackout hit the U.S. territory April 16, an issue Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón called "unacceptable." By the morning of April 18, nearly all customers had their power restored, according to LUMA Energy The already fragile power grid has been repeatedly damaged by hurricanes, leading to regular rolling blackouts. About 1.2 million customers spent New Year's Eve without power in a massive outage that took days to resolve And compounding crises driven by climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and fiscal pressures have pushed the grid to the breaking point, Cecilio Ortiz García, co-founder of the University of Puerto Rico’s National Institute of Energy and Island Sustainability previously told USA TODAY. “The grid has become the poster child of the decay of the colonial system its institutions and a very vulnerable population," Ortiz García said Hurricane Maria knocked out power to Puerto Rico, causing the largest blackout in U.S. history and second-largest in the world It took nearly a year to completely restore restore power after the Category 4 storm slammed the island on Sept Damage to the island's power grid caused by Hurricane Maria persists years later Hurricane Fiona once again plunged the island into darkness causing a blackout that affected the entire U.S “It is unacceptable that five years after hurricane Maria, nothing has fundamentally changed," Agustín Carbó, the San Juan-based senior manager of energy transition at the Environmental Defense Fund, said in 2022. "The current energy crisis is dire and Puerto Ricans and the island’s economy are suffering." Additionally, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake rumbled across Puerto Rico in early 2020 knocking out power to virtually the entire island Previously reported: 6 reasons why Puerto Rico slid into financial crisis a lot of renewable energy sources where the generation was more distributed even individual outages wouldn’t have those widespread repercussions,” she said financial problemsThe Puerto Rico Power Authority has also grappled with chronic financial problems the troubled power company effectively filed for bankruptcy in summer 2017 the power authority signed a 15-year contract with LUMA Energy a Canadian-American electricity consortium The company pledged to reduce the frequency and length of power interruptions Puerto Ricans, including rapper Bad Bunny, have repeatedly protested against LUMA Energy and called on the governor to cancel LUMA’s contract The most recent blackout renewed these calls for the Puerto Rican government to cancel its contracts with Luma and Genera PR, the company that generates the power, according to the Associated Press said the process of canceling the contract with Luma and finding possible replacements would be slow (This story has been updated to add new information.) the smart meter installations are starting in the capital of San Juan and will extend island-wide over three years Puerto Rico utility LUMA Energy announced Friday it has begun installing smart meters across the island marking “a significant milestone in modernizing the electrical grid The island’s first smart meter was installed at the Nemesio Canales public housing complex in San Juan LUMA aims to install 1.5 million Itron smart meters across Puerto Rico. The meter vendor said in December that it expects the rollout to take three years The addition of advanced metering “is a fundamental step in our commitment to modernize Puerto Rico’s energy infrastructure,” Juan Rodríguez LUMA senior vice president of capital programs and empowers our citizens to make informed energy decisions.” The meters will also reduce LUMA’s reliance on estimated billing and promote the integration of renewable energy sources LUMA in February announced plans to add almost 1 GW of renewable energy and more than 700 MW of energy storage in its bid to transition away from fossil fuels and strengthen the island’s fragile electric grid Puerto Rico is aiming to eliminate coal-fired generation by 2028 and develop a 100% renewable energy grid by 2050 The island’s electric system was destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017, resulting in a full rebuild and the development of a plan to modernize and decarbonize the power grid The smart meters “will optimize the performance of the transmission and distribution grid while facilitating the integration of distributed energy resources like solar systems,” Luma said which is designed to have a redundant communications network will feature advanced distributed grid intelligence and allow LUMA to improve system reliability The platform will give customers more control over their energy consumption It also will improve the company’s ability to interact with customers and improve response times during outages support new efficiency programs and allow the adoption of distributed energy resources including solar panels “The installation of these smart meters is central to our long-term goal of improving service to customers and ensuring that Puerto Rico becomes a leader in grid modernization in the Caribbean,” LUMA President and CEO Juan Saca said in a December statement The projected price declines remain dependent on tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act Like an old high school buddy of mine who could never imagine life without a beer in his hand some people prefer to eat at actual restaurants To be fair, on the recent trip that my wife Mary Pat and I took to Puerto Rico we ate at a few restaurants like that. More often, though, we opted to stop at outdoor or street-side cafes. Such a place is Rincón Boricua we left the main highway (Highway 2) that circles the island and braved the narrow back roads And though it took less time than I expected to get there the driving was – and this is what I wrote in my journal – “hectic reminiscent at times of driving in Sicily.” that I got into an accident in Sicily while trying to navigate my way around the city of Catania Let’s just say that driving in Puerto Rico was Anyway, we found Rincón Boricua fairly easily. It’s a modest spot, an open-air café that boasts a menu full of Puerto Rican dishes – we opted for the classic small sampler, 24 pieces of the following: Sorullitos, carne frita, chicharrones de pollo So many fried foodstuffs, so little time to consume them all. Then off to our next destination: the city of Ponce Once back on Highway 2, we made a slight detour to see Mayaguez a sea-side city the guidebooks say has a number of attractions – more statues of Columbus Which brings up a point: Despite stories about the power outages that have affected the entire island over the past few months we didn’t see any real obvious signs of poverty throughout Puerto Rico But we saw nothing that is as bad as parts of Mexico City (Side note: It feels strange to write about poverty when we were headed toward a place called the Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort I don’t think I’ll ever reconcile the fact that I’ve been fortunate in my life when so many others have not.) Yes, the place where we booked a room just outside of Ponce itself now carries the grand name of Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort. Once called simply the Caribe Hilton Hotel the complex has a history dating back to 1946 (though it didn’t open until just before Christmas three years later) it boasts of having hosted such luminaries as the actress Gloria Swanson the former Word War I ace (and Eastern Airlines President) Eddie Rickenbacker and long-distance swimmer Gertrude Ederle (Olympic champion and first woman to swim the English channel) It’s also the place that claims to have invented the Piña Colada. (Though maybe we should ask Rupert Holmes about that.) Our first room had a view of the Caribbean Sea but it was on the ground floor and fronted a pedestrian walkway which is how we ended up on the fourth floor of a different building – though again with a sea view The complex overall showed no effects that I could see of the 2017 Hurricane Maria that is said to have devastated the whole island the place had been damaged enough so that it was closed until 2019 while undergoing a $100 million renovation.) We spent the afternoon relaxing. We even managed to watch the Gonzaga men’s basketball team beat Georgia, 89-68 in their opening game of the NCAA tournament That evening we braved the drive into Ponce itself. Our destination was the restaurant El Rastro which we found on the corner of an otherwise unassuming urban neighborhood street The GPS on Mary Pat’s iPhone made the trip a whole lot easier as the parts of Ponce I was driving in consist of narrow mostly unmarked streets with few stop signs So I had to be continually vigilant to avoid the cross traffic Eating at El Rastro was well worth the effort the well-lit and artistically adorned place was nearly empty and our food was particularly tasty: risotto with “setas” (Spanish for mushrooms) for me We spent the next day at the hotel doing little more than watching the NCAAs (which gave us get a bad feeling about the upcoming GU-Houston game) and then playing nine holes of golf that afternoon on the surprisingly scruffy course (which That evening we shared a plate of panko-crusted friend shrimp at the hotel’s outdoor patio restaurant while watching even more hoops on a giant-screen TV why didn’t we go into Ponce and experience more of what the city proper has to offer It’s a fair question and one that I addressed in an earlier blog post: Puerto Rican drivers and I still had hundreds of miles to go before we could return our rental car to the San Juan airport So just taking it easy seemed like the best option. Because I suspected that one of our future destinations, El Yunque National Forest just might put my driving skills to the biggest test yet Next up: El Conquistador: a resort in the true sense of the word Crews scrambled to restore power to Puerto Rico on Thursday after a blackout hit the entire island (AP Video: Alejandro Granadillo and Danica Coto) Nurys Perez moves a generator into place to power her beauty salon during a blackout in San Juan Generators line the sidewalk of a commercial street in Barrio Obrero as shops try to remain open during a prolonged power outage in San Juan massive generating plants began to shut down across Puerto Rico after a transmission line failed air conditioners fell silent and traffic lights went dark People started realizing the magnitude of the outage when they began calling friends and family that live on the other side of the island who said that they including the biggest mall in the Caribbean Hospitals and the main international airport began running on generators while dozens of passengers using a rapid transit system that serves the capital were forced to walk on an overpass next to the train’s rails to evacuate Anger grew as people began posting pictures of those affected by the blackout including one of a woman who had plugged a small machine into the outlet of a grocery store to give herself medical treatment for a lung condition Authorities are still investigating the causes of the blackout which could include whether several breakers failed to open or exploded Another possibility is that overgrown vegetation may have affected the grid and caused a transmission line to fail the company responsible for overseeing transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico is supposed to do frequent air patrols over certain lines to ensure they remain free of vegetation said at a news conference Thursday that the line where the failure occurred was inspected last week as part of regular air patrols to check on more than 2,500 miles of transmission lines across the island “No imminent risk was identified,” he said said Luma also needs to explain why all the generators shut down after there was a failure in the transmission system Officials also warned of potential setbacks leaving 200,000 clients without power again Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority did not carry out the maintenance and investments the grid required It wasn’t until a couple years after the hurricane that actual reconstruction began the authority contracted Genera PR to oversee power generation on the island as part of another public-private partnership Puerto Rico has been plagued by chronic power outages since Maria with photographs and videos of transmission lines on fire becoming increasingly common many on the island cannot afford solar panels or generators Petroleum-fired power plants provide 62% of Puerto Rico’s power “People must be fed up with us having such a mediocre system she noted that canceling the contract and finding a new company takes time Officials also previously warned that there would not be sufficient power generation come summer González said the government is seeking to contract a company that can provide more than 800 megawatts of energy in the upcoming months The request-for-proposal process began on March 25 and ends this month Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information 2025 at 4:10 PM EDTBookmarkSaveTakeaways NEWDemocratic lawmakers on Monday introduced a bill to block investors from using Puerto Rico as a cryptocurrency tax haven — a proposal unlikely to advance without Republican support and as Congress prioritizes extending the 2017 tax cuts qualified investors living in the US Commonwealth are not required to pay local or federal taxes on capital gains That tax break — part of a broader package of tax incentives known as Act 60 — has made the island a haven for thousands of digital currency enthusiasts A police car patrols a street in front of a liquor store in Barrio Obrero a Dominican barber who’s lived in Puerto Rico for over 20 years explains how his business has seen a drop in sales since raids on immigrant communities began during the second Trump administration Volunteers at San Pablo Methodist Church pack food into bags to donate to the immigrant community in Barrio Obrero Pastor Nilka Marrero poses for a photo at Barrio Obrero’s San Pablo Methodist Church where she has been helping undocumented immigrants prepare for the threat of arrest and other San Pablo Methodist Church volunteers organize donations for the immigrant community in Barrio Obrero Cards with migrants’ rights sit on a table at San Pablo Methodist Church in Barrio Obrero A local walks past a closed mini-market in Barrio Obrero “No human being is illegal,” adorns a window in Barrio Obrero Puerto Rico (AP) — Pastor Nilka Marrero will slam her hand on the table shake her parishioners while playing the role of a federal agent Many of her parishioners are undocumented immigrants and she believes that role-playing with them can help prepare them for the threat of arrest as authorities step up immigration raids to a scale never before seen in Puerto Rico “They appear and snatch people,” Marrero said undocumented immigrants have lived in the U.S They’re allowed to open bank accounts and obtain a special driver’s license Many have felt safe enough to open their own businesses Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents raided a well-known Dominican community in a nod to a new policy of U.S who has pledged to deport millions of people who have entered the United States illegally The arrests have angered Puerto Rican officials and civil leaders who have created programs to help the island’s undocumented immigrants many of whom are from the Dominican Republic An estimated 55,000 Dominicans live in Puerto Rico although some experts believe the number could be even higher although some 20,000 have the special driver’s license More than 200 people have been arrested since Jan according to data ICE provided The Associated Press Department of Homeland Security in Puerto Rico said the agency is focusing on those with a criminal record or who have received a final court ruling that they must leave the country But she said she did not immediately have available how many of those arrested have criminal records said it’s unknown where those arrested have been taken or if they have been deported “We’re concerned about the different methods ICE is using for detainment,” she said On a recent morning in Puerto Rico’s capital speakers at a barbershop played an English tutorial as a couple of Dominican migrants studying to become U.S The business faces a park where the Dominican community had long gathered An undocumented migrant who asked to be identified only by his nickname “the fisherman,” because he feared jeopardizing his case in federal court He had illegally entered Puerto Rico in 2014 to seek more income because his wife back home had breast cancer and he could not afford her treatment working as a fisherman in the Dominican coastal town of Samaná but the man decided to stay in Puerto Rico The fisherman first worked in construction but after falling off a second-story floor and shattering his pelvis he was sitting in a van while his son bought them lunch The man said they slept on the floor of several jails and were given only bread and water as they were transferred to the Puerto Rican town of Aguadilla Authorities sent the man back to Puerto Rico for judicial proceedings where he remains out on bond with an ankle monitor “We’re torn apart,” he said as his voice cracked Marrero keeps an eye out for white vans that might be circulating near her church more than a dozen volunteers fold donated clothes and prepare free meals for undocumented immigrants who are too scared to leave their homes president of the Dominican Committee of Human Rights “They’re afraid to go out; they’re afraid to take their children to school.” Puerto Rico’s Education Department noted that schools with a high number of Dominican students saw absentee rates of up to 70% Officials have since ordered school principals to keep their gates closed and not open them to federal agents unless they have a warrant has said municipal police are not working for or helping federal agents and that the city is offering legal aid and other assistance a northwest coastal town where many undocumented migrants arrive by boat “Any undocumented migrant can come by city hall if they need help,” he said “I am not going to ask to see papers to give it to them Officials in Puerto Rico’s health sector also have offered to help undocumented migrants president of the Association of Medical Surgeons announced that undocumented migrants would receive online medical care “in light of the raids that have condemned thousands of immigrants to confinement.” initially said the president’s initiative would not affect immigrants in Puerto Rico she has said the island “cannot afford to” ignore Trump’s directives on migrant arrests the Episcopalian Church in Puerto Rico announced a new program that offers migrants food as well as legal “The church is never going to be against a law Federal agents initially targeted neighborhoods in San Juan but they have since fanned out across the island and into work sites A man who declined to be identified because his court case is pending He first arrived in Puerto Rico in 2003 but was arrested upon reaching shore He got a construction job and then opened his own company a woman whose house he was working on complained about his work federal agents arrested him and his employees as soon as they arrived at the work site That’s when he found out the woman had taken a picture of his van and reported him “How can people want to hurt someone so much?” he said His attorney said he has a court date on April 1 citizen and his daughter lives legally in Orlando she urges to make sure to have their children’s passports and custody papers in order and on hand She says she asks them to repeat the responses they should give agents depending on what they’re told to do noting that many don’t know how to read or write or do so poorly The university showdown is the latest chapter in a decades-long struggle against austerity on the archipelago compelling Ferrao to reverse the decision before stepping down The university showdown is the latest chapter in a two-decade struggle against austerity, as Puerto Rico grapples with a debt crisis and economic stagnation. Since 2016, a fiscal control board has managed the U.S. colony’s finances. Repeatedly, board members have frozen university funding to secure spending cuts and encourage “operational efficiency,” whittling down academic departments The debt crisis and struggle over education reflect both the failure of U.S colonialism and capitalist development in Puerto Rico the local elite and foreign financiers have blamed the colony’s fiscal problems on profligate social spending But these arguments stand reality on its head Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis is the foreseeable result of policies that U.S leaders have imposed from the outside: a model of economic development that relies on tax exemptions and low wages while prioritizing the rights of foreign investors over the well-being of residents Leftists and independence activists noted that Bootstrap allowed corporations to shirk their fiscal responsibility and exploit workers while making the archipelago dependent on foreign capital. Yet authorities ruthlessly suppressed such criticism. For decades, U.S. officials illegally surveilled over 135,000 civilians to defend a highly unstable model of colonial capitalism Authorities began spying on his socialist colleague, Manuel de. J. González, when he was still a teenager. Eventually, the police enlisted two neighbors, his landlord, a postman and the local security guard as informants to monitor his activities. Decades later, González discovered that “almost every meeting that I attended is documented.” Across Latin America, U.S. officials touted Operation Bootstrap as a model for emulation but neglected a key detail: Repression was the heart of the economic program foreign investment propelled growth in Puerto Rico and policymakers promoted emigration to mitigate appallingly high levels of unemployment the economy remained dependent on foreign capital: a foundation that would vanish if investors chased profits elsewhere During the mid-1970s, a prolonged recession gripped Puerto Rico and discredited Operation Bootstrap. Unemployment rates and budget deficits climbed, as corporations began leaving the archipelago to exploit cheaper labor elsewhere in Latin America. The economist Iyari Ríos González registers roughly $16 million in capital flight for 1960, yet estimates that Puerto Rico hemorrhaged over $3 billion in 1980 Once more, officials adopted fiscal incentives to lure foreign investment. In 1976, the U.S. Congress slotted Section 936 into the tax code exempting corporate profits in Puerto Rico from federal taxes authorities tacitly allowed firms like General Gases and Esso to ram trucks into picket lines and assault employees during labor disputes Puerto Rican leaders kept wages flat and cultivated a pro-business climate for foreign investors The combination of fiscal incentives and bare-knuckled repression stimulated investment and economic growth But it also infused the economy with dangerous contradictions. Corporate tax exemptions and high unemployment rates – which routinely surpassed 14 percent of the workforce – prevented Puerto Rico from developing a stable tax base. Government debt rose from 35 to 57 percent of GNP between 1970 and 2000 officials relied on bond sales to underwrite spending as the public sector confronted revenue shortages The territory’s already insufficient tax base migrated overseas Over the following decade, Puerto Rico spiraled into the worst municipal debt crisis in U.S history by selling bonds to cover budget deficits The financial crisis and government response has reflected the deeper chaos of the colonial order every governor’s office has combined austerity measures with visible corruption – cutting public services to reduce the debt suspects admitted to wrongdoing in return for light sentences Days later, journalists published a Telegram thread exposing the Rosselló administration’s cronyism. One government whistleblower asserted that an “institutional mafia” held the reins of power in a key agency before winning a federal contract to restructure these very debt obligations the rituals of democracy in Puerto Rico have served to legitimate its colonial orientation and unpopular austerity measures Elections offered voters candidates instead of options as both major parties preached a gospel of fiscal discipline and shared sacrifice that they mocked in practice new grassroots movements emerged to resist the belt-tightening reforms and corruption Every governor faced popular backlash as the debt crisis worsened as government repression incited further waves of mobilization and undercut the legitimacy of the colonial order The brutal raid occurred on the anniversary of the Grito de Lares – Puerto Rico’s equivalent to Independence Day – and turned Ojeda Ríos into an instant symbol of national resistance. Students forced the University of Puerto Rico to declare an “academic recess,” and the Puerto Rico Bar Association awarded Ojeda Ríos posthumous honors The outpouring of grief and anger revealed a powerful undercurrent of frustration over the structural inequality and violence of the colonial order Ojeda Ríos’s death galvanized a new wave of anti-colonial activism Resurgent social movements largely focused on combating cuts to education while confronting the repressive power of the colonial government Student activists quickly assumed the vanguard of the struggle against austerity. In 2009, students at the University of Puerto Rico contested tuition hikes and gutted budgets by organizing protests that immobilized the campus Police brutality led the mainstream Daily Sun to editorialize that the behavior of security forces was “comparable only to the acts of the dictatorships we all denounce.” The Department of Justice itself concluded that “constitutional violations” were “pervasive and plague all levels” of the Puerto Rico Police Department unveiling a “staggering level of crime and corruption.” The dialectic between resistance and repression continues to define Puerto Rican reality. Despite the austerity program, Puerto Rico’s debt rose from $35 to $72 billion between 2005 and 2017 officials curbed local control of the archipelago’s debt delegating authority to foreign financial institutions and fueling movements that demand economic justice a fiscal control board appointed by the U.S Congress has managed Puerto Rico’s finances Residents simply call it the “Junta” – alluding to its undemocratic character and past Latin American dictatorships profiting from the destruction of its educational system the ongoing crisis reflects the contradictions of U.S colonialism and capitalist development in the Global South elite policymakers and investors have dismantled Puerto Rico’s economy then cited the resultant debt crisis to shred its social safety net their own mistakes have become a justification for further exploitation while the Junta and foreign capital attempt to milk a shrinking corpse But such violence continues to inspire resistance as social movements mobilize to combat austerity – again resurrecting the Puerto Rican nation in the struggle for a democratic and sovereign future Jonathan Ng is a postdoctoral fellow at the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College The author would like to thank Sarah Priscilla Lee of the Learning Sciences Program at Northwestern University for reviewing this article we are witnessing a terrifying array of anti-democratic tactics to silence political opposition increase surveillance and expand authoritarian reach Truthout is appealing for your support as Trump and his sycophants crack down on political speech Nonprofits like Truthout could be caught in Trump’s crosshairs as he attacks dissenting groups with bad faith lawsuits and targeted harassment of journalists these attacks come at a time when independent journalism is most needed The right-wing corporate takeover of media has left reliable outlets few and far between with even fewer providing their work at no cost to the reader Who will be there to hold the fascists to account We ask for your support as we doggedly pursue justice through our reporting Truthout is funded overwhelmingly by readers like you Please make a tax-deductible one-time or monthly donation today As Trump and his sycophants work to silence political dissent independent media is a key part of the resistance Support our work by making a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout today Over a million customers in Puerto Rico were without power after energy plants across the island unexpectedly shut down a private company that operates power transmission and distribution reported that the outage began at about 12:40 p.m The company said "an event was recorded that affected service island-wide," meaning all 1.4 million customers on the island were without power the Puerto Rico Governor's Office said the outage resulted from a failure in the transmission of the electrical system the company said crews conducted aerial patrols and identified that the outage was "caused by a combination of factors." A preliminary analysis revealed there was a failure in the protection system "This sequence of failures triggered a chain of events that resulted in an island-wide outage," the company said in a statement "This event once again highlights the fragility of the electrical system something LUMA has pointed out since the beginning of its operations." said earlier on April 16 that the "massive power outage" was due to the sudden shutdown of all generating plants Crews were working to bring backup units online Luma Energy said crews started reestablishing the electrical system The company noted that one of the island's power plants went online at around 3 p.m. which "represents a key step towards the system's recovery." The company estimated that it will take between 48 and 72 hours for service to be restored for 90% of customers The island-wide blackout hit just days ahead of Easter weekend — a majority of the territory's population identifies as Catholic and the island observes the holiday all week Puerto Rico has long dealt with chronic power outages. The last major power outage on the island was on New Year's Eve when around 1.2 million customers were left in the dark taking two days for crews to restore power In September 2017, Hurricane Maria obliterated the island's power grid which has remained fragile and under reconstruction Can the island handle it? Everyone’s vacationing in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico's Bureau for Emergency Management and Disaster Administration said in a statement that it has partially activated its emergency operations center to coordinate information and respond to emergencies The agency also said it was also working with personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Genera PR to coordinate work between agencies and address emergencies According to the governor's office, generators were being rented for installation at pumps and water stations to "ensure supply." NBC News reported that at least 328,000 customers were without water on April 16 The Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport was running on electric generators and limited some of its services "Flights are operating normally and are uninterrupted," the airport added "We recommend passengers to arrive to the airport with sufficient time." Verónica Ferraiuoli, Puerto Rico’s designated secretary of state, said hospitals were also running on generator power, The New York Times reported. Ferraiuoli was acting as governor in the absence of González-Colón, who had been traveling but returned on the night of April 16. Luma Energy said in an update at 8 p.m. that crews were prioritizing restoring power to critical facilities. "There are no words that can ease the frustration we feel as a people in the face of another massive blackout," González-Colón said in a statement. "I'm with you because the people of Puerto Rico deserve their officials to respond in times of crisis, and that's why I'm here." 10-122/7/2025 12:22:00 PM | Men's Golf The Golden Eagles have competed in each of the last six Puerto Rico Classics