Schumer and Velázquez secure $365M to improve Puerto Rico’s energy grid

December 13, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CAPITOL HILL AND PUERTO RICO — THE U.S. TERRITORY OF PUERTO RICO, a homeland for many New Yorkers, got a boost from two leading Brooklyn lawmakers: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-07/northern Brooklyn), the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in Congress. Together, they secured funds for the Department of Energy to boost the island’s infrastructure. The agency will invest up to $365 million to install solar and battery storage systems at community healthcare facilities and federally subsidized multi-family housing properties in Puerto Rico.

The $365 million investment is part of the DOE’s new Programa de Comunidades Resilientes, funded by the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund. Itemized, the program will provide up to $190 million for solar panels and battery systems in public housing, and up to $175 million for solar and battery systems at healthcare facilities, including dialysis centers and diagnostic and treatment centers, in underserved and vulnerable communities. Teams chosen for award negotiations under the program already have a strong presence in Puerto Rico and will work with local stakeholders to implement projects.

“When the hurricanes hammered Puerto Rico and left millions without power for weeks and more, we pledged to rebuild a more efficient, cheaper and much cleaner power system for our fellow Americans on the island, said Sen. Schumer, calling this funding “a giant step in the right direction.”

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