Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Edward J. Markey, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Bernie Sanders have unveiled a ‘Marshal Plan’ for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands that will allocate “62 billion to help the cash-strapped Puerto Rican government; $51 billion for economic development; $27 billion for infrastructure, including new energy infrastructure; and billions more for education and environmental remediation.”
The bill has the backing of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz and has been “endorsed by 73 liberal and labor organizations, including MoveOn.org, the Sierra Club, and the Service Employees International Union.”
Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico’s decades-old electrical grid when it made landfall on Sept. 20, rendering millions of island inhabitants without power.
On Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will unveil an ambitious $146 billion Puerto Rico recovery plan he says will allow renewable power sources such as solar and wind to provide about 70 percent of the island’s energy needs within the decade.
The bill, which has the backing of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, also calls on Congress to consider retiring Puerto Rico’s debt and would give the island billions in additional federal funding for transportation, health care and education in the hopes of stemming a feared mass exodus to the mainland. It would also allocate funds to the Virgin Islands, which were similarly devastated by Hurricane Maria.
“This is the closest we have to a Marshall Plan for Puerto Rico,” said Ramón Luis Nieves, a former member of the Senate of Puerto Rico who has testified to Congress about the hurricane’s impacts.
More than two months have passed since Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. island of Puerto Rico and over half of the citizens remain without power.
Status.pr reports:
*58% power generation (generation doesn’t mean consumption; the govt doesn’t provide that number)
*91% of people have water (boil advisory in effect)
*1,135 survivors remain in the 42 shelters that are still open
“More than two months after Hurricane Maria, in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, most of the homes in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are still without electricity. This is beyond belief,” Sanders said. “Congress must work with the people of Puerto Rico to fundamentally transform its expensive, antiquated and unreliable system.”
Sanders's bill, which would put $13 billion into rebuilding the electrical grids in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, would bring the debate about privatizing PREPA to a head. The measure explicitly prohibits public infrastructure receiving federal aid, such as the electrical grid, from being transferred to private ownership.
The citizens of Puerto Rico remain under high stress conditions; many have no access to clean drinking water, electricity, adequate food supplies or medical care. The most vulnerable citizens are experiencing absolute despair and desperation.
Electricity is a necessity for many, but for Karen Feliciano, the need for power is about her son’s survival.
“Hurricane Maria could be considered traumatic, but also a current stressor,” Canino said. “In Puerto Rico’s case, the aftermath of the hurricane has been worse because of the lack of power and water that still isn’t available.”
Pedro’s aunt died around two weeks after the storm, he said. Doctors suspect she contracted an infection from creek water while washing clothes.
“I still really haven’t gotten over that,” Pedro said as he clasped his hands tightly and looked down at the ground.
Kendra said she and Pedro won’t be able to get another appointment with a local psychological doctor until February.
“The Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Equitable Rebuild Act of 2017,” would transform the U.S. territories’ energy, housing, education, agriculture, transportation and health care systems, addressing problems that have bedeviled the islands since long before two massive hurricanes plunged them into a state of full-on humanitarian crisis in September.
While the Equitable Rebuild Act faces a tough challenge from Republicans, it serves “to map out a progressive vision for developing the islands and relieving Puerto Rico, in particular, of a debt burden that has crippled its economy for years.” Moreover, it keeps a spotlight on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico.
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For more on Hurricane Maria, please see: Ongoing coverage on the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico by Denise Oliver Velez