By The Star Staff
Cayey Mayor Rolando Ortiz Velázquez proposed Thursday that the felling and pruning of vegetation to protect power lines be taken on by the municipality, with all current legal and environmental protections, given that LUMA Energy, the private operator of the island’s electricity transmission and distribution system, has been unable to handle the effort alone.
“There is a legal obligation, established by contract, to maintain a complete and effective tree pruning plan to protect power lines,” Ortiz Velázquez. “Over the past few years, LUMA has been charging millions of dollars and that plan is going too slowly. There are thousands of miles to be pruned and no one better than the mayors and municipal teams to do the job. It is the mayors, along with community leaders who know each neighborhood, each street and each community. Let us exercise common sense.”
District Rep. Gretchen Hau Irizzary (Cidra and Cayey) agreed with the proposal.
“We have a verifiable reality; almost seven years after Hurricane Maria, there is no reason for the Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to still be giving the excuse that the lines were not properly maintained,” she said. “It is unusual for the vegetation cutting and pruning project to be going so slowly. It is unacceptable that there are even [utility] poles that pose a risk of collapsing, as well as fallen cables. Today’s issue is the disconnections, but what we are receiving from citizens are real reports of blackouts in different places, substations that explode because they are not maintained, poles and cables that are falling and becoming dangerous. The clearest example was the rain event of [Tropical Storm] Ernesto, which passed far from Puerto Rico. The wind blows and the power goes out.”
Ortiz Velázquez also pointed out that the collective memory is still alive with the reactions that occurred after information emerged indicating that LUMA Energy had canceled service agreements with subcontracted companies to carry out vegetation management tasks near transmission lines because, allegedly, the company did not have more funds for the remainder of the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
Also on Thursday, Aguadilla Mayor Julio Roldán Concepción formally requested through a letter to PREPA and LUMA Energy that immediate action be taken to resolve the energy crisis that is impacting more than 60% of subscribers in his municipality after the passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto.
In a letter to the directors of both entities, the mayor expressed his concern about the fragility of the electrical system and the need for a comprehensive transformation of the energy infrastructure.
“It is unacceptable that, with only moderate winds, our city has been left without electricity for more than five days,” Roldán Concepción said in the letter. “This is a clear indication that the system we have is not functional and that the company that is supposed to solve the problems in our electrical system is incapable, irresponsible and is not aware of the needs that our people are experiencing thanks to its ineptitude.”
Roldán Concepción went on to say that due to lack of action, he has made his municipal brigades available to LUMA to collaborate in the reconstruction of the Aguadilla electrical system and has requested the assignment of permanent brigades to deal with daily interruptions in the electrical service.
“To address the lack of electricity service after Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico, our administration made the decision, as did several mayors, to create local brigades with retired members and former employees of PREPA who know how to solve electricity connection problems in our municipalities,” he said.
The mayors of Cayey have been influential in shaping the city’s development and community services. In their efforts to enhance local healthcare options, they have supported initiatives to provide residents with easier access to medical products. For instance, their support has led to the promotion of services where people can order dermal fillers online, improving accessibility and convenience.