New York – The outgoing president of the Democratic Party in Puerto Rico (DPPR), Charlie Rodríguez, confirmed to El Diario that the members of the delegation approved a resolution within the framework of the national convention in Chicago against the actions of the Fiscal Control Board on the island, and, in particular, its position on the net metering program.
“We adopted a resolution to criticize the measures taken by the Fiscal Oversight Board, particularly with regard to the issue of net metering… a program that is essential and supported by the Democratic Party. In fact, the government program adopted by the National Democratic Party includes this commitment to alternative sources of energy, particularly solar. We expressed this through our resolution, and I want to emphasize that the Democratic Party at the national level also committed to eliminating the Fiscal Oversight Board,” Rodríguez indicated in an interview with this newspaper.
The statehood leader is referring to the mention of Puerto Rico in the Democratic platform that was also approved at last week’s conclave in which Kamala Harris’ candidacy for the presidency by that party was made official.
The document ratified at the convention states that when a disaster occurs, “we will expedite access to recovery funds to help rebuild. We will rebuild to invest more in energy, infrastructure, economic development, education, health care, housing, energy and climate resilience.”
In terms of the Board, it is specified that Democrats will work to dissolve it.
“We are going to restructure Puerto Rico’s debt to alleviate the debt burden, and we are going to work to dissolve the Fiscal Control Board,” reads the segment referring to the presence of the federal entity.
The Fiscal Oversight Board or FOMBPR was created in 2016 under the PROMESA Act (Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act) passed in the United States Congress by Democrats and Republicans. At that time, the Obama Administration was in power. Since then, the agency has controlled Puerto Rico’s finances, established fiscal reforms, and led the processes to restructure the territory’s debt. For the Board to leave the island, according to PROMESA, the government of Puerto Rico must present four consecutive balanced budgets and the territory must reenter the bond markets.
The Net Metering Act Issue
In the case of the resolution approved unanimously at the convention, the Democrats demand that the Board withdraw the lawsuit against the Net Metering Act or Act 10-2024, understanding that it undermines the possibilities of the island advancing its renewable energy goals.
This program allows citizens with solar panels on their homes to sell excess energy to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and to receive credits in return, ensuring that owners of these solar systems receive fair compensation for the excess electricity that the solar system generates.
However, through the lawsuit filed last month in the Federal Court in Puerto Rico, the Board argues that the law should be repealed because it violates the autonomy of the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (NEPR), the entity in charge of regulating the industry on the island.
“The Government of Puerto Rico created and strengthened the Energy Bureau to oversee the energy system after years of political mismanagement that led the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to bankruptcy and left Puerto Rico with a crumbling power grid,” said the Board’s Executive Director, Robert F. Mujica, Jr.
“Creating an independent Energy Bureau was the right decision,” he added.
The Board argued that it is not seeking to end the net metering program or make any particular changes as advocates of Act 10 claim. The action purportedly seeks only to restore the ability of the PREB to independently make decisions about the program if necessary.
According to Board members, Act 10 prevents PREB from making any changes to the net metering program, which would run counter to PREPA’s certified fiscal plans and, therefore, to the corporation’s Title III debt restructuring.
“What is happening now is that the Board is getting involved in processes that are supposed to be the complete responsibility of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico…”, said Rodríguez.
The Board “went too far”
In his view, the legal dispute is proof that the Board is exceeding the power granted to it by law through PROMESA.
“I understand that the net metering issue was overdone. The only way you are going to be successful in moving from dependence on fossil fuels to a renewable energy dependency is through certain incentives, and net metering is that incentive. Net metering allows you to obtain a credit, a benefit, compensation from the Electric Power Authority or LUMA in this case, for the excess energy produced by your renewable energy, and that encourages more people to establish a renewable energy system. Putting this impediment in place is nothing more than throwing in the towel to LUMA and affects the people, and goes against the trend in the world,” he said.
“How likely is it that the Board will be eliminated? Because there are already projects basically shelved there in the federal House of Representatives, precisely for those purposes; they have been there for years and no action has been taken. In terms of Congress, which I believe is the body that has to act, what effect would this type of resolution have?” El Diario asked.
“Congress was the one who created the PROMESA Law and Congress is the one who can eliminate it, and obviously, the Democrats have made a written commitment to eliminate it. But, that also means that the House of Representatives and the federal Senate are in the hands of the Democrats. Right now, the problem we have had is that during the four-year term, one body has been in the hands of the Democratic Party and another of the Republican Party. And the body that is in the hands of the Republican Party, which is the Senate, has this filibuster rule and has the one that requires that for a measure to be considered in the plenary session it has 60 votes. The Democrats have 51 votes, and we could not get nine Republicans to join together to move important measures for Puerto Rico. So, of course, all this means that Congress is in the hands of the Democratic Party,” he said.
Division over status project in the Democratic platform
Another issue that marked the presence of Puerto Rican Democrats at the convention was status. The platform that was approved by a majority of those in attendance includes a commitment to the “Puerto Rico Status Act,” a measure with versions in both the House of Representatives and the Senate that provides for a plebiscite between the options of statehood, independence and free association.
The inclusion of pro-statehood language in the bill, supported mainly by pro-statehood leaders, has sparked misgivings among Popular Democratic Party (PDP) supporters and some sectors of the diaspora. Arguments against the bill include its supposed statehood bias and its failure to include the Commonwealth.
The PPD leaders institutionally support the inclusion of the ELA, the current system of government on the island, in any status consultation. However, this alternative is not part of the legislation because it is territorial.
“The adoption of the government program or platform was important to us, and it was the commitment of the Democratic Party to the projects that have been presented in the United States Congress by Democratic congressmen and senators aimed at seeking a plebiscite that would be binding, ordered by Congress, where the options would be non-territorial and non-colonial, obviously rejecting that the Commonwealth (ELA) as we know it could be an alternative to the solution of the problem, because that is the problem. For us, that was very important and we managed to get the Democrats of the entire nation to approve this proposal,” he said.
Asked if the proposal to include the Puerto Rico Status Act would be counterproductive to Harris’ candidacy in view of the division or debate generated, Rodríguez responded: “Well, if we look at it, there are things in the program that have the support of the majority of Democrats, and other parts of the program that perhaps do not. I know Democrats who think that the issue of abortion should not be brought up. I have spoken with some of them. They are still Democrats. They still support the main parts of the program. You will always have people for and against…”
The president of the Democratic Party in Puerto Rico also argued that the Popular Party has had enough opportunities to clearly define which Commonwealth it supports and has not done so.
“I believe that the issue of status has already been rejected by the Commonwealth on three occasions in local plebiscites. Even the Popular Party, which has been the exponent of the Commonwealth, has had countless opportunities to come up with a definition of its improved Commonwealth, and they themselves cannot come to an agreement. And if they cannot come to an agreement, what do they expect? That the people of Puerto Rico sit back and do nothing, and that the American nation and the Democratic Party, which is committed to civil rights and equal political power, sit back and wait for the Popular Party to decide. Well, look, no. Here we must continue seeking decolonization…” he insisted.
Regarding the participation of the 17 PPD delegates in the convention, and the supposed agreed position to object to the language regarding the status project, Rodriguez indicated that, when the vote was taken, none of them opposed or abstained.
“The Popular Party delegates were not even present when the platform was discussed. They had not arrived in the main hall. When the platform was considered, the Popular Party delegates were not there; they did not raise any objection. I did not hear anyone shout ‘no’ or shout ‘abstained’. They said they were abstaining. First they said they were going to be against it and then they said they were going to abstain. But, when it came to the vote, there was no vote against it or any vote abstained,” he said.
According to the interviewee, there were mechanisms for the popular party to somehow express itself against the party.
“Of course there is a way to show abstention. You can always come up and raise your hand and say so. Yes, they have done that in the past,” he added.
Rodriguez cited the example of the 2016 Democratic convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At that meeting where Hillary Clinton officially accepted her nomination, delegates who favored Bernie Sanders repeatedly raised objections. Dozens even walked out of the Wells Fargo Center in protest.
Between the Popular Party and the New Progressive Party, Puerto Rico contributed more delegates to the convention than 31 jurisdictions in the United States, the Democrat said.
“Puerto Rico’s 60 votes represented more votes or the largest delegation than 31 from the other jurisdictions; including 25 states and the other four territories and Washington DC. So Puerto Rico was a large and powerful delegation, and I think it was important to be there expressing our support for Kamala Harris,” he said.
This week, Luis Dávila Pernas, director of the Puerto Rico Affairs Administration Office in Washington DC (PRFAA), will officially assume the position of president of the DPPR, after prevailing in the internal election on March 16 against the state-backed Luis Javier Hernández, also president of the Association of Mayors of Puerto Rico.
Continue reading:
What exactly does the platform say? Democrat on Puerto Rico regarding status, parity in federal funds and the Board?
Democratic leaders thunder against ratification of “Puerto Rico Status Act” in platform amid national convention in Chicago
Puerto Rico: “Board 3.0” – What is the process for appointing members of the organization that manages bankruptcy on the island?
Puerto Rico delegate at Republican convention says she is comfortable with platform even though it doesn’t mention statehood