Governor rejects LUMA counterclaim, calls it a political stunt

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón

By THE STAR STAFF

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón on Wednesday dismissed LUMA Energy’s counterclaim against the Government of Puerto Rico, arguing that the company’s legal arguments fail to address the administration’s claims.

“I don’t believe they have any arguments to sustain their counterclaim,” González Colón said during a press conference. “This is simply an attempt to balance the fight in the media, after losing three times in court, and to launch a defamation campaign against the government of Puerto Rico. I believe we will prevail again. They should focus on doing their job, providing service, and stop spending so much on lawyers -- because at the end of the day, the people of Puerto Rico pay for it.”

On the state of the electrical system, the governor attributed the reduction in outages to increased generation capacity.

“The reality is that we’re seeing fewer blackouts because we’re adding more generation,” she said.

González Colón said her administration inherited a deficit of more than 1,200 megawatts.

“We have added nearly 1,600 megawatts of generation so far,” she said.

She also said the use of battery storage and the conversion to natural gas should translate into lower electricity bills.

“Next year we will see $158 million in annual savings, and we will ask the Energy Bureau to reduce the power bill,” she added.

The governor also responded to recent comments by Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, linking them directly to an upcoming primary for the New Progressive Party (NPP) gubernatorial nomination.

“This is part of what I’ve been saying for the past year -- the primary campaign for the governorship is approaching,” she said. “I don’t think that’s a secret.”

“In recent days, the Senate president has said he wants to lead the NPP ticket, so I have nothing more to add. I told you so,” she added.

Regarding the controversy involving La Fortaleza Chief of Staff Francisco Domenech Fernández and former Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC by its acronym in Spanish) Secretary Sebastián Negrón Reichard, González Colón said the allegations must be handled by the appropriate investigative agencies.

“All allegations must be investigated, and they will all be investigated,” she said.

“The Office of Government Ethics, the Comptroller’s Office -- those are the agencies that currently have all the referrals,” she added.

The governor also drew a distinction between the documents submitted by each side.

“There is a big difference,” she said. “A sworn statement is not the same as a letter.”

Asked whether Domenech Fernández is “untouchable,” González Colón rejected the notion.

“Everyone here is under evaluation -- every agency head, everyone,” she said. “That word does not exist in my vocabulary.”

On calls for her to resign as NPP president, González Colón said they have come from a former president of the party, Leo Díaz, who is a political commentator. 

“He is the only person who has made that comment,” she said. “He was not with me in the primary and has been saying this since the day I won the NPP gubernatorial primary,” she said.

The governor also said she was surprised by Negrón Reichard’s resignation.

“I was surprised the day he resigned,” she told reporters. “We were here in a press conference. I found out through you.”

Regarding the new DDEC secretary, Carlos Ríos Pierluisi, González Colón said she interviewed over a dozen candidates before making a decision.

“I interviewed more than 14 or 15 candidates, looking first for someone who could drive manufacturing, which is one of the pillars of our economic development strategy,” she said.

The governor added that she directly asked Domenech Fernández about allegations of pressure or undue intervention.

“Of course I asked, and he told me no,” she said.