
By The Star Staff
New Progressive Party candidate for governor Jenniffer González Colón, along with the party’s candidate for resident commissioner, William Villafañe Ramos, and Rep. Eddie Charbonier Chinea, recently signed the Manifesto of Commitments to the communities surrounding the Martín Peña Channel, known as G8.
While she was a legislator in the island House of Representatives, González Colón began to work with the G8 communities in support of their efforts. In 2016 and 2020, she signed the Manifesto as a candidate for resident commissioner. Recently, she signed it as a gubernatorial candidate after having complied with all the agreements of the manifestos she previously signed and having obtained, in teamwork with the G8, funds for the Martín Peña Canal restoration project.
“Today, I can come here and say that I fulfilled the 2016 and 2020 commitments that I signed with you as a candidate for resident commissioner with the largest allocation of federal funds that has been assigned to the Martín Peña channel; and today I come with our next resident commissioner, William Villafañe, who understands what the community is asking for and that together we are going to work because this project has a state part and a federal part and together with Eddie Charbonier, who will be in charge of obtaining resources from the Legislature,” González Colón said.
In the first principle of the Manifesto, the gubernatorial candidate promises to prioritize and defend the interests of the G8 communities.
“These communities have been resilient in facing and overcoming problems and challenges. What is being agreed upon and achieved has been because the community stood up and fought and has been given international recognition for its community organization,” said González Colón, who praised the work and organization of the community. “This is a major project that I am sure the goal should be a navigable channel that connects the different bodies of water.”
From Congress, the resident commissioner has worked on initiatives to emphasize the importance of the Martín Peña Channel Ecosystem Restoration Project, ensure its long-term validity, promote its selection for the construction phase, and secure the necessary funds to begin it.
González Colón achieved the inclusion of language in the report accompanying the appropriations law of the Energy and Water Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee advocating for the project in the following fiscal years: 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. In 2022, she requested it as the No. 1 priority of the community project requests submitted by the subcommittee’s office to the committee, but it was not chosen.
The project was authorized by the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2007 at a cost of $150 million. The resident commissioner requested and obtained an increase in the amount authorized by law in WRDA 2020 to $255.8 million to protect the project and ensure its long-term viability.
The project was included in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work plan published in February 2022 for construction, with a federal investment of $163.2 million to complete the project. The funds were authorized by the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee considered this project in 2021, where the resident commissioner -- who belongs to the committee -- was one of two Republican lawmakers to vote in favor of the measure.
Having worked in a bipartisan manner in favor of the Martín Peña project since its beginning, González Colón said she will be ready to work at the state and federal level to promote the project’s advance and minimize any delays or setbacks.
The G-8 is made up of the following San Juan communities: Las Monjas, Israel and Bitimul, Barrio Obrero Marina, Buena Vista (Hato Rey and Santurce), Parada 27, Barrio Obrero, San Ciprián and Cantera.
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