Groups assail governor over ‘glaring inaction’ on solar panel program cancellation
- The San Juan Daily Star
- May 7
- 2 min read
By The Star Staff
Environmental and community groups harshly criticized Gov. Jenniffer González Colón on Tuesday for her “glaring inaction” following the Trump administration’s cancellation of a crucial program that enabled citizens to acquire solar panels.
The Resilient Communities Program had earmarked a substantial $365 million for the installation of solar panels and batteries in hospitals and public housing, a vital resource for many, the groups said.
Hernaliz Vázquez, director of Sierra Club Puerto Rico, expressed deep frustration in a written statement: “The Trump administration’s cancellation of this program leaves countless communities desperate for solar systems, especially at a time when our electrical infrastructure is particularly fragile due to the inefficiencies of LUMA and Genera,” Vázquez said, referring to the island’s private electrical grid and power plant operators, respectively.
Vázquez condemned the governor’s rationale for the program’s elimination, which she claimed was a blind adherence to “the president’s public policy,” despite the complete lack of state funds to replace the vital resources.
“It’s clear that the Governor has chosen to comply with all of Trump’s directives because she is essentially an extension of his policies here in Puerto Rico,” Vázquez asserted, highlighting how the governor’s decision undermines initiatives aimed at historically marginalized communities.
She also pointed out that the governor dropped a billion-dollar lawsuit against oil companies for environmental damages, a move that she said aligns disturbingly well with Trump’s climate agenda.
“It is evident that Jenniffer González is determined to follow Trump’s agenda at any cost,” Vázquez said. “We urge the governor to urgently reconsider her detrimental decisions that harm the people of Puerto Rico.”
The 2023 book, “Learning to Depolarize: Helping Students and Teachers Reach Across Lines of Disagreement” by Kent Lenci, helps schools (and parents) shoulder some responsibility for depolarizing our fractured American Society.
Here are some relevant passages in this book. On page 22, the Earth is warming dangerously, and we humans are to blame, and on page 24, the conservatives fit in and fall into line on climate change because the long-term dangers posed to a single person by the effects of climate change appears less consequental than the prospect of being cast out of the group. Members of a social groups who instrinsic need for belonging can override the rational side of our thought processes.