By The Star Staff
House Speaker Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Núñez has rejected the proposal to extend coal burning at the Applied Energy Systems Puerto Rico (AES) plant until 2035.
Méndez Núñez said the legislative body will substantially amend the administrative measure that seeks to accelerate the energy transition toward renewable generation sources.
“The measure will definitely be amended,” he said at a hearing on the measure earlier this week. “It cannot be approved as is. There are also amendments that the appointed Energy Czar has suggested that are unacceptable to us. There are even amendments that he has suggested that are not part of the administration’s proposal.” In the continuation of public hearings to evaluate House Bill 267, the House leader declared that prolonging the permanence of the generator located in Guayama -- as suggested by the Energy Czar, engineer Josué Colón Ortiz -- will not be an option in the report to be presented by the Government Committee, chaired by Rep. Víctor Parés Otero.
The speaker’s remarks were made during a panel of non-profit organizations dedicated to environmental protection that opposed, in their respective presentations, the extension of AES Puerto Rico’s operations.
Méndez Núñez gave assurances that the concerns of the entities are shared by the legislative body, so they will accept some of their recommendations to “enrich” the bill, which will be put to a vote later.