Posted on July 24, 2024
ST. CROIX — The 35th Legislature burned the midnight oil on Monday, approving measures including two aimed at ameliorating the territory’s energy crisis and one authorizing approximately $1.5 million in pre-construction funding for the St. Thomas Harbor dredging project.
The V.I. Port Authority announced on Monday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had approved a permit application for the dredging project. More than a few hours later, after midnight, lawmakers approved the appropriation from the Community Facilities Trust Fund for soft costs.
The first measure meant to assist the territory’s floundering utility was Bill No. 35-0311, an Act “to ensure that the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority … seeks technical assistance” from the U.S. Energy Department, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other relevant federal government agencies “to modernize its electrical grid and water system, improve reliability, enhance efficiency, and incorporate advanced technologies.”
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited the territory last week as part of a joint visit to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. According to Sen. Milton Potter, Granholm responded to a question from Senate President Novelle Francis Jr. during a meeting with lawmakers by saying that the federal government would be willing to provide support and technical assistance — if the utility asked for it.
“I was stunned that our Water and Power Authority had never officially — as much strife and stress and challenges that we have with this Authority, that should have been the first step that we took,” Potter said on the Senate floor on Monday.
A measure requiring that the Virgin Islands government bear the cost of medical exams for victims of rape or unlawful sexual contact — regardless of whether the victim cooperates with law enforcement or has health insurance — was also approved.
The nominations of Magistrate Ernest Morris Jr. to the position of V.I. Superior Court judge and Harish Wickrema to serve on the V.I. Conservation District were approved unanimously by the 13 lawmakers present for those votes.
Other approved measures included: one honoring former Gov. Kenneth Mapp with the V.I. Medal of Honor; one appropriating $300,000 to the Human Services Department for its Meals on Wheels program; a $1 million appropriation to the Public Works Department for emergency bush and grass cutting on St. Croix; and one providing a penalty for those who commit perjury in proceedings before the Legislature.
