Lawmakers to PREB: Hold the line on $527 million reassignment for streetlight repair & maintenance.

Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez

By THE STAR STAFF

Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez, along with House Government Committee Chairman Víctor Parés Otero have asked the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) to reject any proposal that eliminates the $527 million in federal funds already obligated for the repair and maintenance of streetlights in 35 municipalities on the island.

Through a press release on Sunday, the lawmakers stressed the importance of the streetlight repair project.

“Re-igniting our communities has been one of the priorities of this House of Representatives. Last December we managed to get the Energy Bureau to validate our proposal that the municipalities can work directly with repair and maintenance,” the House speaker said. “[...] the PREB issued a resolution that reassigns the amount of $527 million, originally contained in Resolution NEPR-MI-2021-0002, for lighting projects in some 35 municipalities. We support that decision and hope that it does not change.”

Parés added that “[t]here may be some attempts by private operators of the electrical system to reverse that decision of the PREB.”

“We oppose any change; that money is needed to light our streets and communities, many of which have been shut down since hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017,” he said. “That money is urgently needed and we ask the [Energy] bureau to hold that position.”

The municipalities included in the $527 million reallocation are Aguas Buenas, Arecibo, Barceloneta, Cabo Rojo, Camuy, Canóvanas, Cayey, Ciales, Fajardo, Guayama, Guayanilla, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Juana Díaz, Juncos, Lares, Loíza, Maricao, Moca, Patillas, Peñuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Río Grande, Sabana Grande, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastián, Toa Alta, Utuado, Vega Baja, Yauco and Vieques.

With the reassignment, all the towns on the island are now under the lighting replacement program, which has a total of $1.676 billion available in federal funds allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The PREB resolution on the reassignment was issued on Feb. 5.