Earthjustice Statement on Puerto Rico’s Failing Non-Renewable Energies in the Wake of Secretary of Energy’s Visit to the Archipelago

Earthjustice criticizes the continued reliance on a centralized, fossil-fuel-dependent energy grid in Puerto Rico, citing failures of private generators and the need to utilize unspent FEMA funds for distributed rooftop solar and storage to ensure climate resiliency.

• Earthjustice asserts that the federal government and Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau have failed to ensure a transition to a zero-emission, weather-resilient system, despite the availability of billions in unspent federal FEMA funds allocated for recovery and climate resiliency that could be used for rooftop systems.
• The document highlights the failure of centralized fossil fuel generation in Puerto Rico, noting that New Fortress Energy's San Juan LNG terminal was operated without authorization and failed to provide a reliable fuel source. Additionally, EcoElectrica's gas storage tanks were damaged by seismic activity, and AES reported a 50% reduction in coal plant operations in mid-October due to a coal injection problem.
• Earthjustice argues that the solution to Puerto Rico's energy crisis is a rapid transition to renewable rooftop energy and safe storage, a position supported by Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and agencies including Vivienda, PREPA, and PREB President Edison Avilés-Deliz.
• The statement references a United Nations Environmental Program report indicating that climate adaptation budgets from developed to emerging countries are 5-10 times lower than estimated needs, making rooftop solar and storage essential for adaptation in places like Adjuntas.

APA

Santiago, R. (2022). Earthjustice Statement on Puerto Rico’s Failing Non-Renewable Energies in the Wake of Secretary of Energy’s Visit to the Archipelago. Earthjustice. https://earthjustice.org/press/2022/earthjustice-statement-on-puerto-ricos-failing-non-renewable-energies-in-the-wake-of-secretary-of-energys-visit

Chicago

Santiago, Ruth. Earthjustice Statement on Puerto Rico’s Failing Non-Renewable Energies in the Wake of Secretary of Energy’s Visit to the Archipelago. Earthjustice, 2022. https://earthjustice.org/press/2022/earthjustice-statement-on-puerto-ricos-failing-non-renewable-energies-in-the-wake-of-secretary-of-energys-visit.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Santiago |first1=Ruth |title=Earthjustice Statement on Puerto Rico’s Failing Non-Renewable Energies in the Wake of Secretary of Energy’s Visit to the Archipelago |publisher=Earthjustice |date=3 November 2022 |url=https://earthjustice.org/press/2022/earthjustice-statement-on-puerto-ricos-failing-non-renewable-energies-in-the-wake-of-secretary-of-energys-visit |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{santiago2022earthjustice, author = {Santiago, Ruth}, title = {{Earthjustice Statement on Puerto Rico’s Failing Non-Renewable Energies in the Wake of Secretary of Energy’s Visit to the Archipelago}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://earthjustice.org/press/2022/earthjustice-statement-on-puerto-ricos-failing-non-renewable-energies-in-the-wake-of-secretary-of-energys-visit}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }