WASHINGTON -- Ten months after Hurricane Maria, more than 500 buildings are without power in Puerto Rico and many blame the bankrupt Puerto Rico Power Authority. Lawmakers are looking for answers, holding a hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. However, one major player was not there.
- Parts of Puerto Rico still dark after Maria; power company blamed
- Hearing held Wednesday regarding Puerto Rico Power Authority
- Puerto Rico governor no-shows hearing after Twitter feud
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló was a no show at the hearing Wednesday after a Twitter feud last week soured relations between the governor and the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
The tweet, which has since been deleted, was sent via the official committee Twitter account last week, asking the governor to call his office and included a letter with an invitation to testify.
In the letter, House Committee Chairman Rob Bishop expressed concern over what he calls "historic mismanagement" of the Puerto Rican Electric Power Authority (known as PREPA), which is in the process of trying to restructure itself as it works to restore the island's electric grid.
"This is Washington D.C. There's drama every day," said Rep. Darren Soto, who represents Florida's 9th District. "Under the set of circumstances, I can't say I blame him," he said.
Rosselló explained his absence in a statement, where he wrote, "I do not appreciate your committee staff disparaging or demeaning members of my team or trying to make me or my government look uncooperative or politically motivated."
"This is about the health, safety, and future of the millions of Americans who live in Puerto Rico," said Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), the chairman of the committee.
The hearing went on Wednesday without Rosselló, with the management crisis at the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority under the microscope.
"PREPA went wild between 2009 and 2012, borrowing about $5 billion in four years," said Eduardo Bhatia, the minority leader of the Senate of Puerto Rico during the hearing.
Just this month, a chief executive resigned from the bankrupt utility, one replacement withdrew and five board members quit. Now, some are suggesting Rosselló's ability to appoint members to an oversight body should be revoked.
"With this case, what we've got is a utility by virtue of many varying factors, very complex issues has fundamentally gone awry," said Bruce Walker, the assistant energy secretary during the hearing.
Some members of the committee are considering legislation that would give federal government greater oversight over the money allocated to the Puerto Rico Electric Utility, but some don't think that's necessary.
"We don't need legislation to do our jobs," . Soto said after the hearing. "We don't need a federal takeover, but we do need to keep a short leash on PREPA."
In written testimony sent to the committee, Rosselló emphasized that he'd like to see critical policy choices that impact the future of Puerto Rico handled by the Puerto Rican government.
However, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have not yet come to a consensus on how to solve the power company's chronic problems.