Puerto Rico's grid gets battered — again

Presented by National Clean Energy Week: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Sep 19, 2022 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by National Clean Energy Week Vehicle lights illuminate a street after a massive blackout, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2016. | Carlos Giusti/AP Photo Hurricane Fiona is the latest disaster to hit Puerto Rico and its beleaguered electric grid. The Category 1 storm pummeled Puerto Rico on Sunday, cutting power to the island's 3 million residents and leaving most of them without potable water. (1.3 million remained without power as of Monday.) It also unleashed landslides, severe flash flooding and wind gusts up to 103 mph. Hundreds of people were evacuated or rescued. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency Sunday morning, unlocking federal funds for disaster relief. But the U.S. territory's recent history suggests aid money does not guarantee a speedy recovery. The hurricane hit two days before the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that killed nearly 3,000 people and wreaked havoc on the power grid. A series of earthquakes in 2019 likewise devastated large swaths of the Caribbean island. Many residents are still recovering from the two disasters. The island has a long history of grid crises and varied attempts to fix the system. Puerto Rico is large compared with other island territories, and its top industry is manufacturing, which requires constant and reliable power. But the island produces no conventional fuels and relies heavily on expensive imports. A rotating cast of grid officials has tried for over a decade to deploy more solar energy, in an effort to decrease power costs and shore up reliability. But the island's new grid operator, LUMA Energy LLC, has faced criticism from residents who say blackouts have worsened under the company's leadership. A lack of swift federal action after previous disasters has only made the island more vulnerable. The federal government awarded Puerto Rico billions of dollars after 2017's Hurricane Maria to rebuild its damaged infrastructure, including projects to transform the territory's failing electrical system. But a recent federal audit found that just 19 percent of the recovery funding has been spent, largely due to constantly changing policy and guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In addition to devastating the power grid, severe hurricanes are working hand-in-hand with sea level rise to eat away at Puerto Rico's 700 miles of coastline. More than half of the island's 78 municipalities are coastal, making it distinctly vulnerable to sea-level rise, erosion and flooding. Hotels, condos and homes border many of the island's beaches, often just feet away from a shoreline that has been creeping inland. Years of infrastructure development in high-hazard regions and poor soil management have exacerbated the problem.   It's Monday — thank you for tuning into POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell.  Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net. Listen to today's POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO's energy podcast: Catherine Morehouse explains why FERC Chair Richard Glick might be out of a job and what his priorities are if the Senate reconfirms him.   A message from National Clean Energy Week: Save the date for the 6th annual National Clean Energy Week (NCEW), September 26-30! NCEW celebrates the policies, industries, and innovations that power our daily lives while reducing emissions. Ready to join the national clean energy conversation? REGISTER for the VIRTUAL Policy Makers Symposium on September 27-29! Join us to hear from legislators, industry leaders, and clean energy advocates alike! Thanks to NCEW sponsors, registration is 100% FREE for all attendees! Register for FREE here.   Power Centers Protesters on against permitting legislation the Mountain Valley pipeline project. | Francis Chung/E&E News Permitting peril The Democrats' permitting overhaul hangs in the balance as lawmakers inch toward the Sept. 30 deadline to pass a government funding bill to avert a shutdown, write Timothy Cama, Jeremy Dillon and George Cahlink. Democrats secured passage of Biden's climate bill by agreeing to overhaul the permitting process of large energy projects. But progressives, environmentalists and many other Democrats continue to line up in opposition. Texas grid nightmare In his bid to turn the Texas governor's mansion blue, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D) has seized on the state's beleaguered power grid as a reason to oust Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, writes Jason Plautz.   The big question, however, is if O'Rourke or Abbott could help drive a sweeping Texas grid overhaul. Experts suggest it's possible with some determination, although the governor's direct power is limited. Power war Russian troops launched strikes on Ukraine's second-largest nuclear power plant. The attack resulted in a power outage but left the reactors undamaged, writes Victor Jack. Artillery shells landed 300 meters from the reactors, sending a shockwave that smashed over 100 windows at the nuclear complex. No one at the site was hurt. In Other News Traffic lights are out during power outages in Sonoma, Calif., in 2019. | Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Electrification: Why electric vehicles won't break the grid. Info wars: Climate scientists are being hit with document requests and lawsuits by groups, some with fossil fuel ties, who are challenging their research. Question Corner The science, policy and politics driving the energy transition can feel miles away. But we're all affected on an individual and communal level — from hotter days and higher gas prices to home insurance rates and food supply. Want to know more? Send me your questions and I'll get you answers.   A message from National Clean Energy Week:   Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Claudia Sachs, 19, sings to fellow young climate change activists at a press conference Friday. | Lesley Clark/E&E News A judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by Our Children's Trust that accused Virginia lawmakers of failing to prevent the worsening effects of climate change. California is enacting a spate of climate laws, including measures to speed up solar permitting, improve EV chargers and prioritize equity. Europe's efforts to keep warm this winter could worsen an already deadly issue: air pollution. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   A message from National Clean Energy Week: Are you ready to join the national clean energy conversation? Save the date for the 6th annual National Clean Energy Week (NCEW), September 26-30 and REGISTER for the VIRTUAL Policy Makers Symposium on September 27-29! Tune in to hear from legislators, industry leaders, and clean energy advocates like YOU— thanks to NCEW sponsors, registration is 100% completely FREE for all attendees! NCEW is a weeklong celebration of the policies, industries, and innovations that power our daily lives while reducing emissions. Join us to recognize what an all-of-the-above clean energy future can bring: American energy independence, economic prosperity, & a healthier climate. Register for FREE here.     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.