Government

No Statement Yet From Gov't House on Scathing WAPA Audit Even as Key Administration Figure Was Part of WAPA Board During Propane Conversation Deal

The Office of the Inspector General on Wednesday issued a scathing audit on the V.I. Water and Power Authority's propane conversation project, including cost overruns of more than $113 million and gross incompetence by both WAPA management and the board. Yet even as a key member of the Bryan administration was part of the board for more than two years during the time the project was approved along with multiple cost revisions, the administration has not issued a statement on the damning findings. Karl Knight, the Bryan administration's chief of staff, was part of the WAPA board by virtue of his position of Energy Office director during the former Governor John P. de Jongh administration. The board unanimously approved the Vitol deal in July 2013, with Mr. de Jongh at the time declaring that the deal would move the territory away from dependence on fuel while decreasing the bills of customers by 30 percent.   That never occurred, and during Mr. Knight's tenure at the board, from May...