Ex-DNER secretary urges approval of SB 628 with scientific definition of MTZ

Sen. Ada Álvarez Conde’s bill on the maritime terrestrial zone, SB 628, was recognized as a model for other states during last week’s National Forum 2026 of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators in Chicago, one of the main gatherings in the United States on environmental policy.

By THE STAR STAFF

Sen. Ada Álvarez Conde on Tuesday publicly thanked geologist Dr. Pedro Gelabert Marqués, the former Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) secretary during the administration of former Gov. Pedro Rosselló, who recommended to Gov. Jenniffer González Colón that if the island Legislature approves a pair of bills on the maritime terrestrial zone (MTZ) -- one from the House of Representatives and the other from the Senate -- that she veto both and instead approve Senate Bill (SB) 628, which was drafted in consensus with a group of scientists and experts in environmental law.

SB 628, authored by Álvarez Conde and introduced in May of last year, proposes a scientific redefinition of the MTZ to stop the privatization of beaches and protect the coasts of Puerto Rico. Gelabert, who was also regional director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and director of the Environmental Quality Board, was part of a group of professionals who developed the scientific definition of the MTZ included in SB 628.

Álvarez Conde, acknowledging the various members of the group, said “this goes beyond partisan lines and I appreciate the recognition of the definition worked on by experts.”

“[Puerto Rico] deserves adequate and robust protection of its coasts,” she said. “Beyond environmental protection, which is the purpose of SB 628, we recognize that at the level of economic development, we depend on tourism promotion [...]. My call to the governor is to listen to experts like Dr. Gelabert. The country will thank you, in this and in the next generations of Puerto Ricans.”

Last week, the senator’s bill was recognized as a model for other states during the National Forum 2026 of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators in Chicago, one of the main gatherings in the United States on environmental policy, where Álvarez Conde participated as a panelist.