US Territories’ September 23-29, 2019 news week in tweets
Massive Power Outage Leaves 150,000 Puerto Ricans Without Power
BREAKING: Major power outage in Puerto Rico has left close to 150,000 customers in the dark.
Cause: Ecoeléctrica, the private natural gas power plant, has suffered another failure. Ecoeléctrica provides energy to the public power grid, hence the outage. https://t.co/NRGteT5mXs— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 29, 2019
A massive power outage left between 150,000 and 200,000 Puerto Ricans without power on September 28. The disruption was resolved for most of the customers affected in approximately an hour but was the second major outage in the last week in the territory.
Puerto Rico Unveils Plan Out of Bankruptcy
The details of Puerto Ricos path out of bankruptcy is very confusing. But this is simple: the people of Puerto Rico are paying the price for decades of mismanagement by politicians.
This week there was a major plan put forward. Read more:https://t.co/Cvp29OLWwb— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 28, 2019
Puerto Rico has a plan to get out of bankruptcy starting with 33% of its public debt being cut, which would slash its debt from $129 billion to $86 billion. The proposal, created by a seven-member federal oversight board, will go before a federal judge who will decide on any disputes.
Delegate Stacey Plaskett Speaks to US Virgin Island’s Vulnerability in Face of Climate Change
Today I went to the House Floor to address Climate Change and how it effects the Virgin Islands. Threatened by increasingly more frequent and extreme devastation, territories like the US Virgin Islands stand at the frontlines of the climate crisis. https://t.co/H8248hmvCj
— Rep. Stacey Plaskett (@StaceyPlaskett) September 26, 2019
Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D) of the US Virgin Islands took to the House floor to express the US Virgin Islands’ vulnerability in the face of climate change. Plaskett declares that the territory is on the front lines of the growing climate crisis and that more action is needed to ensure safety for the territory and all Americans.
Trump Administration Moves Funds Intended for Guam to Build Border Wall
The administration has vowed it's only delaying the spending, not canceling it.https://t.co/qJiSVCdeCo
— ABC News (@ABC) September 28, 2019
The Trump administration has moved funds intended for military construction projects in Guam to help fund the building of the southern border wall. The administration has vowed that it is not canceling the funds, but rather delaying them. Guam remains a crucial strategic territory for the US’s defense against China and North Korea.
Senate Passes Extension for American Samoa’s Full Federal Medicaid Match
https://twitter.com/RepAmata/status/1177361232761970688
The US Senate has passed an extension for American Samoa’s Storm Gita Medicaid match assistance program. The 100% match will be extended for another 8 weeks to November 21st.
500 Sails, a Nonprofit Focused on Restoring Cultural Heritage in the Northern Mariana Islands, Receives Federal Grant
Department of Health and Human Services is awarding an emergency one-time grant of $100K~ to 500 Sails, Inc., a nonprofit focused on restoring cultural heritage in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. https://t.co/OsJNL0I4vH
— not_aRegisteredFed (@aregisteredfed) September 27, 2019
500 Sails, Inc, a nonprofit focused on restoring cultural heritage in the Northern Mariana Islands, has been awarded a one-time emergency grant of $100,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services.
