Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. Photo Credit: REEMY-REEMZ PHOTOGRAPHY/VICONSORTIUM
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. on Wednesday issued a statement on the outcome of a special session of the 35th Legislature, convened at his request to consider a bill authorizing a line of credit up to $150 million for the Government of the Virgin Islands.
The funds would be used to advance critical infrastructure and energy projects in the territory, as well as address the longstanding financial obligation between the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) and its propane supplier, Vitol, according to the administration.
Mr. Bryan said the legislation presented during Wednesday's special session represented a concerted effort by the Virgin Islands government, following months of lobbying with the federal government, Congress, and Vitol, to move forward with dozens of vital recovery projects and make a good faith payment toward resolving WAPA's debt with Vitol.
The territory's leader expressed disappointment at the outcome of the session, stating it was not what they had hoped for. He also noted that the delay might negatively impact WAPA's ability to provide efficient and effective services to ratepayers and the government's capacity to progress key recovery projects in a timely fashion.
“The outcome of Wednesday’s special session was not what we hoped and may have negative implications for WAPA’s ability to deliver efficient and effective services to the ratepayers and the government’s ability to move forward key recovery projects in a timely manner," he said.
Despite the setback, Mr. Bryan said he remains committed to working with the 35th Legislature and senators who did not support the current approach, with the aim of finding alternative solutions to address these matters before the next scheduled legislative session on April 14.
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