PRIORITIZING BASICS IN PUERTO RICO

On 2026-09-02, Representative Pablo José Hernández (D-PR) delivered a floor speech titled "PRIORITIZING BASICS IN PUERTO RICO" in the House.

PRIORITIZING BASICS IN PUERTO RICO

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 139 (Wednesday, September 2, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 139 (Wednesday, September 2, 2026)] [House] [Page H5434] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] PRIORITIZING BASICS IN PUERTO RICO (Mr. Hernandez of Puerto Rico was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. HERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, the people of Puerto Rico want us to prioritize the basics of water and energy, and to fight corruption. Last year in this Congress, I denounced alleged irregularities in the procurement process for an emergency energy generation contract. {time} 1100 That concern was bipartisan. Former Congressman Mark Green and I cosigned a letter asking questions that weren't answered. It turns out those concerns were warranted. Let's take a cold look at the facts. On August 28, 2025, last year, Power Expectations and Reyes Contractor won a $5.9 billion contract for temporary energy generation in Puerto Rico. But Power Expectations and Reyes Contractor didn't have the required expertise or financial capacity to perform the contract. The government agency in charge of procurement essentially told them: find a partner who does, create a consortium, and then you have a deal. Eventually Power Expectations and Reyes Contractor found Enchanted Rock. A person called Jhoby Weaks, COO of Caribbean Operations, signed the contract on Enchanted Rock's behalf. The oversight board, which must authorize contracts over $10 million, approved the contract. Everyone was happy. Puerto Rico would have emergency energy generation in time for the summer peak. The happiness didn't last. It turns out, Enchanted Rock had warned the government that there was a mistake: that they didn't sign the contract, that Jhoby Weaks was not an Enchanted Rock employee, and that the position of COO for Caribbean Operations did not even exist within their company. Apparently, someone forged the firm's signature. But it gets worse. Before the alleged forgery, Enchanted Rock got a letter from a law firm. They claim the letter attempted to blackmail them, and when they replied, the law firm denied having sent that letter. The firm denied having ever represented Power Expectations or Reyes Contractor. Apparently, someone forged the law firm's letter. Enchanted Rock informed the Government of Puerto Rico even before the contract was executed. You would expect that after all these irregularities, the relevant government agencies would have responded decisively, that they would have rescinded the contract, that they would have reported the fraud. But they didn't. Instead, they went and substituted Enchanted Rock with another company through an assumption and assignment agreement. Nearly 2 months later, someone blew the whistle. An investigative journalist broke the news. Someone forged a signature in a $5.9 billion energy contract. The government knew, and the government hid it from the public, hid it from the oversight board, and hid it from the power authority. When the oversight board found out, they canceled the contract. Under public pressure, the government referred the matter to law enforcement--again, 2 months late. The people of Puerto Rico deserve answers and accountability. Congress, which has assigned $17 billion for Puerto Rico's energy grid, deserves answers and accountability. What did the Government of Puerto Rico know? When did the government know it? Why did the government hide it? Was it corruption, incompetence, or both? This scandal has direct consequences over the people. There are power outages because we don't have emergency energy generation. As the people of Puerto Rico's Representative in Congress, I want to emphasize the following: The vast majority of Puerto Ricans are neither corrupt nor incompetent. Like the vast majority of American citizens and Members of Congress, we detest corruption, and we stand up to it. I urge my colleagues to join me in this crusade of good government. Let's ask the questions and demand the answers. Let's work together to hold the crooks accountable, to fix the basics, and turn the lights back on in Puerto Rico. ____________________