$280,000 partnership unveiled to help Puerto Rico face water and power crises

A $280,000 partnership has been announced to help Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory, confront its water and power crises. Officials announced the deal on Friday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on the same day New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with nonprofits on the island.

The partnership is between the Hispanic Federation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York. Officials said the money would equip 10 community-run resiliency hubs across the island with increased water storage capacity. Some hubs would also receive rain-collection systems, kitchen infrastructure and solar power with battery storage.

The funding split was also specified. The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York is contributing $210,000 to the effort, while the Hispanic Federation raised an additional $70,000.

Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, said, 'Puerto Rico's families have lived through more disasters than anyone should have to.'

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said, 'Conversations about climate change and environmental justice are essential to the wellbeing and future of our communities.' Hochul and Mamdani are among a group of New York government officials in Puerto Rico for a four-day annual conference.

The announcement comes as Puerto Rico struggles with chronic power outages and intermittent water shortages while it tries to rebuild from Hurricane Maria and other disasters. Hurricane Maria razed the island's power grid in September 2017; the grid was already weakened given a lack of maintenance and investment.

The announcement also comes months after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump canceled solar projects in Puerto Rico that were supposed to help thousands of low-income families. One project, worth $400 million, would have seen the installation of solar and battery storage systems in low-income homes and those with medical needs.

The U.S. Department of Energy has said the money initially slated for solar projects would instead be used to help maintain Puerto Rico's crumbling power grid. The decisions, however, prompted outrage on the island as federal support for solar projects fades.

Last week, six Puerto Rico residents sued the U.S. Energy Department and its secretary, Chris Wright, following the scrapping of a $1 billion federally funded program to provide solar power and battery storage to those who most needed it. The lawsuit stated, 'The cost of such systems remains out of reach for the majority of Puerto Ricans.'

Among those suing is 63-year-old Arecibo resident Ileana Rios, who is diabetic and needs to refrigerate her insulin. Her son has asthma and needs to use a nebulizer, which requires electricity. The lawsuit noted that Rios regularly loses power when the weather is stable and always loses power during storms, sometimes for several weeks at a time. The other residents who sued also have serious health conditions and need equipment or medications that rely on electricity. The lawsuit requests that a judge order the Energy Department to reinstate the grant program, among other things. The department did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Sybelle Rodriguez del Valle, director of operations at the energy resilience nonprofit Barrio Electrico, said nonprofits faced months of uncertainty and confusion as they awaited the Trump administration's decision. 'We had a lot of uncertainty. ... At some points it just felt like we were talking to no one,' she said. Barrio Electrico provides electric service to more than 500 families across 12 municipalities in Puerto Rico and was poised to provide resilient energy for 1,200 families with funds from the federal program. It had only completed about one-third of its projects before the program ended, losing an estimated $16 million to $20 million in funding.