Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Carlos Ríos Pierluisi By THE STAR STAFF A new military footwear manufacturer is set to begin operations in Lares, with plans to generate up to 300 full‑time jobs over the next three years and establish a second facility in San Sebastián dedicated to handling raw materials. The project, led by PR Footwear, will receive up to $2.4 million in government incentives through the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC). DDEC

Sen. Brenda Pérez Soto By THE STAR STAFF Arecibo District Sen. Brenda Pérez Soto has filed Senate Bill (SB) 1497, which proposes to establish a special period of 90 days for taxpayers with debts on movable and immovable property with the Municipal Revenue Collections Center (CRIM by its acronym in Spanish) can pay the principal owed and receive a waiver of accumulated interest, surcharges and penalties. Puerto Rico has previously used such a mechanism. In December 2013 Law 14

The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau in its resolution took notice of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s “Urgent Motion,” but determined that the filing did not justify revising or clarifying a recent order that set fuel and purchased‑power adjustment factors for the last quarter of 2026 and initiated an investigation into excess gas nominations and supply deficiencies. By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) declined to modify its Sept. 30 order on fuel cost

LUMA President & CEO Janisse Quiñones Says gov’t lacks a transition plan By THE STAR STAFF LUMA Energy argued before the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico on Monday that declaring the extension of its supplemental contract void would result in some $1.3 billion in costs and obligations, while maintaining that the island government has not identified a replacement operator, the resources to fund a transition, or a concrete plan to maintain the operation of the transmission and dist

Community leaders in the Campanillas sector of Toa Baja are sounding the alarm over what they describe as a growing and potentially dangerous landslide risk along Pedro Albizu Street, better known as El Caño. By THE STAR STAFF Community leaders in the Campanillas sector of Toa Baja are sounding the alarm over what they describe as a growing and potentially dangerous landslide risk along Pedro Albizu Street, better known as El Caño, where residents fear they could be cut off f

The liquefied natural gas carrier Amur River in June 2021 (Facebook via Sinopec) By THE STAR STAFF A spokesperson for New Fortress Energy (NFE) announced on Sunday that the fuel supplier will not deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the tanker ship Amur River. The decision stems from a dispute regarding the resolution and order issued on Sept. 30 by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB), which directed the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to halt a $17.6 millio

Rep. Víctor Parés Otero By THE STAR STAFF The Government Committee in the island House of Representatives will convene a high‑level meeting this week at the Capitol to address a technical impasse preventing two completed renewable energy projects from connecting to Puerto Rico’s power grid. Committee chairman Rep. Víctor Parés Otero said the session will bring together executives from Applied Energy Solutions (AES) Puerto Rico and private grid operator LUMA Energy to clarify

Third-Party Procurement Office counsel Osvaldo Carlo Linares By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rico’s attempt to secure 800 megawatts (MW) of temporary generation, an emergency measure meant to keep the lights on during the island’s most vulnerable months, unfolded over 2025 as a prolonged struggle marked by bureaucratic delays, political intervention, supplier disputes and open conflict with federal overseers. Internal chats, revealed by Jay Fonseca, between Energy Czar Josué Colón O

By THE STAR STAFF Extreme drought continues to recede in Puerto Rico and now affects 9.3% of the territory, while the total extent of drought conditions has dropped to 54.5%, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor update released Thursday, with data valid as of Tuesday, Sept. 29. The new report reflects an improvement compared to the Sept. 8 update, when 69.1% of Puerto Rico remained under some category of drought and 39.5% was experiencing extreme drought. The reduction betwe

Bayamón Mayor Ramón Luis Rivera Cruz, right, is seen with San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo during Thursday’s wake for Rivera Cruz’s father, former Bayamón Mayor Ramón Luis Rivera Rivera, who died Wednesday at age 97. The public service proceeded throughout the day Thursday at Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón. By THE STAR STAFF On Thursday, during the wake for his father -- former mayor Ramón Luis Rivera Rivera -- Bayamón Mayor Ramón Luis Rivera Cruz recalled the promise h