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Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett has launched an online survey whose aim is to share infrastructure ideas for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
According to the congresswoman's office, for decades, disaster-stricken areas in the Virgin Islands have suffered from systemic underfunding. To combat these challenges, Ms. Plaskett has brought millions of dollars to the territory in recent years helping to rebuild after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, her office said.
"Additionally, President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R.3684) is a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness and will allow the Virgin Islands an opportunity to make a quantum leap and develop not just a more sustainable infrastructure, but one that tackles climate change issues along with providing sustainable jobs," Ms. Plaskett said. "Not only does this legislation help the Virgin Islands, but it ensures that Americans have access to necessities like clean drinking water and high speed internet, as well as spurring the creation of good-paying union jobs that advance long overdue environmental justice and grow the economy sustainably and equitably."
The survey, launched on the plaskett.house.gov website, is for constituents to offer suggestions which will be submitted to the governor and make available for private developers for potential projects under the new infrastructure law.
She said Mr. Biden has committed in this legislation to make American infrastructure resilient against the impacts of climate change, cyber-attacks, and extreme weather events. The administration is also focused on delivering the largest investment in tackling legacy pollution in American history, according to the release.
According to Ms. Plaskett, the Biden administration stated: “Thousands of rural and urban communities around the country, hundreds of thousands of former industrial and energy sites are now idle – sources of blight and pollution. … The bill will invest $21 billion to clean up superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mine land and cap orphaned oil and gas wells.”
She said that with the president’s emphasis on funding going to underserved and minority communities, it is imperative that the Virgin Islands take advantage of this opportunity.
"The Infrastructure Survey developed by our office allows Virgin Islands residents to pin a location or type in a specific address to report infrastructure issues that need attention in our community and share their creative ideas for new industry and new jobs which address climate change and create a more resilient economy," the congresswoman said. "Survey respondents will help us expand our knowledge of issues with public transportation, flooding or water access, electrical outages, road and/or sidewalk repair, and broadband or internet access. Additionally, the survey provides a medium for Virgin Islanders here and abroad to share their suggestions and vision for what building back better looks like for our territory."
Click here to access a video demonstration of how to use the survey, and here to access the survey itself.
