Wapa

Bills Aimed at Forcing Change at WAPA, Including Measure Establishing Outside Oversight Approved Even as WAPA Executives, Board Members Opposed

A bill sponsored by Senators Janelle Sarauw, Donna Frett-Gregory, Kurt Vialet and Kenneth Gittens to establish a Management and Oversight Review Committee for WAPA won approval on Tuesday in the Committee of Rules and Judiciary. The legislation was among two other measures — Bill 33-0272, which establishes a Ratepayer Bill of Rights and codifies into law basic protections for customers, and Bill 33-0211, which seeks to ensure that members of the Public Services Commission (PSC), which regulates WAPA and other utilities, have a level of expertise in an area specific to their duties — to advance Tuesday. Testifiers expressed their opposition, including to the bill establishing oversight, whose primary goal is to ensure the proper management of the authority and bring it to financial solvency, appropriate regulatory standards, and efficient operations. The bills now head to the Committee of the Whole where the full body will vote before they are sent to Governor Albert Bryan. There's a ...