Disaster Recovery

U.S. Senator Calls On Congress To Provide Funding To USVI And PR For More Resilient Power Grid, Renewable Energy

U.S. Senator Lisa Ann Murkowski of Alaska has called on leaders of the Senate through a letter to embrace long-term resilience in the rebuilding of the hurricane-impacted infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The letter follows Governor Kenneth Mapp's $5.5 billion request to the federal government to help rebuild the territory, an estimate Mr. Mapp has said could change as assessments continue. And how much of the $5.5 billion the territory will receive, and when, remains an open question. In a letter addressed to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Charles Schumer, Ms. Murkowski, who serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, requested federal assistance to allow communities to build more resilient and sustainable infrastructure that is less vulnerable to extreme weather.   Ms. Murkowski told her colleagues that while immediate assistance ought to focus on essential supplies to protect the safety of indiv...