NAACP endorses Puerto Rico statehood

The NAACP on Tuesday passed a resolution supporting a bill to make Puerto Rico the 51st state by 2021.

Under that bill, Puerto Rico would be integrated as an incorporated territory of the United States until its full acceptance as a state in 2021.

“The Puerto Rican Admission Act [is] a major step towards realizing the democratic will of the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico,” the NAACP resolution states.

The resolution was approved after Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló (D) addressed the group, calling statehood a “civil rights issue” and Puerto Rico's current territorial status “colonialism.”

In a 2017 referendum in Puerto Rico, 97 percent of voters chose statehood over independence or the status quo. But that referendum was boycotted by opposition parties, so only 23 percent of the electorate showed up to vote.

Opposition parties have panned the governor’s characterization of statehood as a civil rights issue.

Héctor Ferrer, president of the opposition Popular Democratic Party, said the referendum process was “rigged” because it did not include the word “commonwealth” as an option.

“[The government] is depriving at least half of the people of Puerto Rico of the right to choose,” he said of the turnout.

Ferrer is a Democrat at a national level, as is Rosselló, while Del. Jenniffer González-Colón is a Republican. But in Puerto Rico, González-Colón and Rosselló both belong to the New Progressive Party, a coalition of centrist Democrats and Puerto Rico's Republicans.

The debate over Puerto Rico’s status heated up in 2016, after the Supreme Court decided that the United States and Puerto Rico cannot successively try the same person for the same crime.

That decision fudged the distinction between Puerto Rico’s commonwealth status, adopted in 1952, and territories fully under control of the federal government, as established in the U.S. Constitution.

Still, specific distinctions remain: Puerto Ricans do not vote in federal elections or pay federal income tax, and the island sends a non-voting resident commissioner to Congress for four-year terms.

Rosselló and González-Colón blame the island's status for its poor economic development and say full representation in Washington will help the island achieve equal footing with the states.

Rosselló told the NAACP convention that the lack of statehood is an “injustice that damages” the more than four million U.S. citizens in the territories of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa.

NAACP endorses Puerto Rico statehood

Puerto Rico's power company sees 3rd CEO in 2 weeks

Puerto Rico's governor named a new CEO on Wednesday to lead the U.S. territory's power company, which has now seen three top executives in two weeks as it struggles with a lack of leadership, bankruptcy and the restoration of electricity to hundreds who remain in the dark since Hurricane Maria.

Electrical engineer Jose Ortiz, who once served as executive director of the island's water and sewer company, takes over the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority on July 23. He replaces a CEO who lasted only one day in the position and took over from another CEO who announced his resignation last week after nearly four months on the job.

Ortiz once served as president of the power company's board, which saw five members resign last week following an outcry over the $750,000 annual salary that a previous CEO would have earned amid an 11-year recession. Ortiz will be making $250,000 annually and will receive no bonuses.

Ortiz said his priority is to rebuild Puerto Rico's credibility to help attract foreign investment and reach a deal with creditors to resolve the agency's $9 billion public debt.

"One of the first things we have to do is pull the company out of bankruptcy," he said.

He also said he will review multimillion-dollar federal contracts awarded to U.S. companies who are helping restore and rebuild the island's electrical grid after the Category 4 storm destroyed up to 75 percent of transmission lines.

Ortiz promised that Puerto Ricans will see "substantial change" early next year at the power company and in their bills as the government prepares to privatize the generation of energy and award concessions for transmission and distribution.

"We cannot keep planning much further," he said. "We all know what needs to be done."

Gov. Ricardo Rossello is among those who have been blamed for the ongoing turmoil at the power company. A day after the previous CEO was appointed last week, he issued a statement saying that the $750,000 salary was not appropriate given the island's economic crisis and said that any board member who disagreed should step down. Five of them did, including the CEO who was previously part of the board.

Rossello defended his actions, saying energy "is the linchpin of our society."

"The transformation of the electrical system is critical to Puerto Rico's development," he said.

Ortiz takes over as crews try to restore power to about 650 customers who remain without electricity some 10 months after hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the island in September.

FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2017 file photo, a brigade from the Electric Power Authority repairs distribution lines damaged by Hurricane Maria in the Cantera community of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Jose Ortiz will take over Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority on July 23, 2018, the company's second CEO in two weeks as it struggles with leadership issues, bankruptcy and the restoration of electricity to hundreds who have remained in the dark since Hurricane Maria. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File)

By DANICA COTO
Puerto Rico's power company sees 3rd CEO in 2 weeks

PUERTO RICO SELF-DETERMINATION STATEMENT

The NAACP has a long history of supporting the democratic value of self-determination.

Our position as it stands seeks to advance the prosperity of the people of Puerto Rico. We, as the NAACP want to ensure that Puerto Ricans receive the resources, and support required to aid their recovery efforts.

We feel our position is especially important following the devastating hurricane and abysmal response from our federal government.

The NAACP stands with the people of Puerto Rico now more than ever, and we affirm our ability to work together in our joint struggle for equal protection, equal opportunity, and free will. Puerto Rico should be free to decide its preferred option in a fair and inclusive manner.

Media Relations Contact:
Aba Blankson
Vice President, Communications & Digital Media
ablankson@naacpnet.org

PUERTO RICO SELF-DETERMINATION STATEMENT

Puerto Rico's Electric Utility Is In Chaos, With Customers Still Awaiting Power

Leadership of Puerto Rico's troubled electric utility collapsed after a mass resignation from its board of directors. At the same time, thousands of residents are still waiting for power 10 months after Hurricane Maria.

NOEL KING, HOST:

In Puerto Rico, the search is on for a new CEO for the island's electric utility. This will be the fifth CEO since Hurricane Maria destroyed the electric grid. The most recent CEO quit last week before he even started the job. Meanwhile, about a thousand households are still waiting for power 10 months after the storm. NPR's Adrian Florido reports.

ADRIAN FLORIDO, BYLINE: High in Puerto Rico's central mountain range, 85-year-old Ana Delia Medina Delgado opens the front door to her tidy but darkened home. "Come in," she says, "look at what I use for light."

ANA DELIA MEDINA DELGADO: (Speaking Spanish).

FLORIDO: She has a little lantern and a flashlight - nothing more. Her refrigerator is empty, unplugged.

MEDINA: (Speaking Spanish).

FLORIDO: "I think my dear lord," she begins. But then, her wide smile fades, and she falls into the arms of her adult grandson, Abdiel.

MEDINA: (Speaking Spanish).

FLORIDO: "I have a wonderful daughter," she sobs, "and my grandkids. They are the ones who've looked after me." Medina is among the last thousand or so customers that Puerto Rico's electric utility says are still waiting for power 10 months after Hurricane Maria. The utility, known as PREPA, says it won't stop till they all have power.

But last week, PREPA fell into chaos. The island's governor, Ricardo Rossello, demanded that PREPA's board cut the $750,000 salary of its newly hired CEO. In response, five out of the seven board members, including the new CEO, resigned, saying in a letter that, quote, "petty political interests" were trying to control the utility.

The governor denied interfering politically and quickly began filling the vacancies on PREPA's board. It's a critical time at the utility, which is owned by the government. Last month, the governor signed a bill that will privatize power generation on the island but keep power distribution under government control.

SERGIO MARXUACH: Even though the governor talks about privatizing PREPA, he still has the hope to be able to control the company.

FLORIDO: Sergio Marxuach is with the Center for a New Economy, a think tank in Puerto Rico. It's well-known, he says, that because PREPA is so huge, generates so much cash, issues so many contracts, that the island's governors have long seen control of the utility as one of the spoils of office.

MARXUACH: On the other hand, you had the old board. And I think they had a different vision to make PREPA less political, more professional and also perhaps had a different vision as to how it should operate going into the future.

FLORIDO: Angel Figueroa Jaramillo, president of the union representing electric workers, agrees that political meddling is a rampant problem at PREPA. But he also feared that the resignation of its independent board members would only allow the government to exert more control over the utility.

ANGEL FIGUEROA JARAMILLO: (Speaking Spanish).

FLORIDO: "They resigned from Puerto Rico's most important corporation," Jaramillo says, "without any sense of their obligation to the people." Jaramillo and his union have fiercely opposed the government's plan to privatize the utility. Aside from its ongoing struggle to turn the lights on after the hurricane, the utility is bankrupt and owes creditors billions of dollars. Cate Long does research for some of those creditors.

Is this common? Does this happen often?

CATE LONG: No, it never happens - never. Utilities tend to be exceptionally stable businesses. Investors love putting - you know, buying bonds of utilities because they're really basically the most stable entities in the United States economy. So this is so far off the charts, it just doesn't even register.

FLORIDO: Long wants the federal government to take PREPA over, at least for a while. That idea is being hotly debated in local news. This is all news to Carlos Lopez.

CARLOS LOPEZ: (Speaking Spanish).

FLORIDO: "No power means we can't turn on the news," he said. Right now, one of his big concerns is keeping his little generator running. It's the third one he's bought since the hurricane. He said they burn out every three months or so.

Adrian Florido, NPR News, Utuado, Puerto Rico.

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ADRIAN FLORIDO
Puerto Rico's Electric Utility Is In Chaos, With Customers Still Awaiting Power

Puerto Rico deserves statehood to truly celebrate Independence Day

On Independence Day, 3.7 million Puerto Ricans will be celebrating America’s birthday, but they would also like to be reveling in their own liberation. Twice in the past five years, a majority of Puerto Ricans have voted in favor of becoming a state, rather than remaining a territory or being a sovereign nation. On the campaign, President Trump said that Puerto Ricans should be able to determine their own political status, and Congress should follow through on whatever the people decided.

There are 36 cosponsors for the bipartisan Puerto Rico Admission Act of 2018, including the chairmen of the House Natural Resources Committee and its Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee. The legislation would create a task force to determine which laws needed to be amended or repealed before the territory can become a state, and recommend economic measure that would aid the transition.

Granting statehood to Puerto Rico would provide many benefits. The Government Accountability Office found that “statehood could eliminate any risk associated with Puerto Rico’s uncertain political status and any related deterrent to business investment.” It also reported that statehood would increase both federal revenue and spending, but the complete fiscal impact would be determined by the “terms of admission, strategies to promote economic development, and decisions regarding Puerto Rico’s government revenue structure.”

Alaska and Hawaii both generated significant economic growth during their first decade after admission to the union. If the process is done with similar objectives in mind, there could be equal benefits for the people. Puerto Rico has been a territory since 1898, its residents have been U.S. citizens since 1917, and it has governed itself since 1952. The longest wait for any territory to become a state was 50 years for Hawaii.

The record length of time that Puerto Rico has been a territory likely accounts for the astonishing lack of knowledge that its residents are citizens, which in turn has an impact on support outside of the island. A Morning Consult poll, taken just days after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, found that only 54 percent knew that its residents are U.S. citizens. An abysmal 37 percent of those 18 to 29 were aware of this fact, while 64 percent of those 65 and older had the correct information.

When asked whether Puerto Rico should receive federal aid to help rebuild after Hurricane Maria, 80 percent of those surveyed who knew about citizenship said yes, while only 40 percent of those who did not know about citizenship said yes. In other words, the latter group viewed them as foreigners, not fellow citizens.

Many Americans outside of Puerto Rico also are unlikely to be aware that Puerto Ricans do not pay federal income taxes on income earned in Puerto Rico, but they do pay all other federal taxes including Medicare and Social Security taxes. Yet, these U.S. citizens do not receive the same benefits as those of us living in states.

The commonwealth has the lowest participation rate in the labor market in the United States and all territories. A significant reason for this problem is that Puerto Rico has not been able to attract a sufficient quantity or quality of jobs due to its territorial status. Putting Puerto Rico on a path to statehood would not be a bailout. Instead, it would enable the territory to determine its own future, enhance economic growth and opportunity, and reduce the financial burden on all taxpayers.

Recognizing some of the innovative economic opportunities that are arising out of the devastation caused by the hurricanes, the governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, signed legislation that would privatize the electric grid, while telecommunications companies are moving to establish 5G technology as that system is being rebuilt.

Focusing on the path forward, Puerto Rico can and will manage through this crisis and restore growth and opportunity on the island. If Congress does not allow Puerto Rico to start the process toward statehood, the federal government and taxpayers will face an even longer, more difficult, more costly and uncertain process to recovery.

Tom Schatz is president of Citizens Against Government Waste.

BY TOM SCHATZ
Puerto Rico deserves statehood to truly celebrate Independence Day