Organizations allege environmental crimes in governor’s first 100 days

A spokesperson for the Una Sola Lucha collective said: “Since the beginning of her term as governor, Jenniffer González has promoted a vision of economic development that conflicts with the protection of our natural commons.”

By The Star Staff

The Una Sola Lucha collective onTuesday accused Gov. Jenniffer González Colón of promoting environmental crimes during her first 100 days in office, including prioritizing illegal construction and relaxing regulations to the detriment of the environment.

“Since the beginning of her term as governor, Jenniffer González has promoted a vision of economic development that conflicts with the protection of our natural commons,” said Hernaliz Vázquez, spokesperson for the Una Sola Lucha collective and director of the Sierra Club Puerto Rico, in a written statement.

According to the group, one of the most serious cases is Administrative Order 2025-01, signed by Natural and Environmental Resources Secretary Waldemar Quiles Pérez, to legalize houseboats in Lajas’ seaside community of La Parguera, which they described as a violation of environmental laws and regulations. They also denounced Senate Bill 272, sponsored by González, which they said would limit citizen opposition and facilitate private construction in the Maritime-Terrestrial Zone.

They also questioned the passage of Executive Order 2025-16, which relaxes permitting requirements for energy projects such as methane gas and industrial solar panels, many of which are located on agricultural land and vulnerable areas, without addressing the concerns of affected communities.

“The first law the governor signed expanded AES’s use of coal to generate energy and eliminated most renewable-energy goals,” said Víctor Alvarado, a spokesperson for Una Sola Lucha and Environmental Dialogue.

The groups also noted that González requested that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency include Puerto Rico in the deregulation of 31 environmental policies, which would allow the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure, reduce protections for bodies of water, and relax standards against air pollution and toxic ash.

Vanessa Uniarte, spokesperson for Friends of the Sea, criticized the lack of concrete strategies to address recycling and the repeal of Law 51 of 2022, which banned single-use plastics, an action she considered the result of pressure from the fast-food industry.

Uniarte also noted several projects that she said pose environmental threats and urged their suspension due to the impact they would have on coastal ecosystems and communities.