The New Republic | Puerto Rico Falls Victim to Trump’s War on Solar Power by Malcolm Ferguson

Nearly 40,000 poor and working class people in Puerto Rico were promised accessible solar panels and battery storage from the U.S. government following massive blackouts after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and Hurricane Fiona in 2022. Within a year of Donald Trump winning his second term as president, his administration eliminated the programs.

On Thursday, Grist reported that the Trump administration has diverted a large chunk of funding away from the Energy Resilience Fund, a $1 billion program Congress formed in 2022, and handed over what’s left of it to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or PREPA—a government-owned energy company with a history of corruption and incompetence. On top of that, in January, Trump’s Department of Energy eliminated $350 million in grants to low-income households on the island to set up their own solar systems.

“Why would you cancel something that is working as intended and being executed, to give it to someone that has a bad history?” a former Energy Department official told Grist, referring to PREPA. “Why are we risking these funds?”

Read more: https://newrepublic.com/post/208561/puerto-rico-trump-solar-power-prepa-hurricane-maria

#donaldtrump #hurricanemaria #politics #puertorico #solarenergy

About the Power Lines

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2026/02/about-the-power-lines/

ok, i’ve watched it again and am now processing all the awesomeness. no disrespect, but Lady Gaga was the weakest link.

ENISGÜEIS, have to make an inventory of all the references, but know:

USA forced the privatization of Puerto Rico’s electric grid, la AEE, busting our oldest #labor #union. protests mounted after #HurricaneMaría; then #Telegramgate happened

those AEE posts are symbol of the labor unions that laid the groundwork for the 2019 protests

#BadBunny #Superbowl2026

https://milpamerica.org/p/raices/920972582813804258

«Se puede trabajar en una finca con solo un machete y una azada, ¡eso es todo lo que se necesita! Pero una cosa que aprendimos después del huracán es que mucha gente ya no sabe cómo usar los machetes».

“You can work a farm with just a machete and a hoe, that’s all you need! But one thing we learnt after the hurricane is that a lot of people don’t know how to use machetes anymore”

#agroecology #puertorico #hurricanemaria #machete #sustainableagriculture

https://milpamerica.org/p/raices/920965802958149312

El nombre del proyecto «Raíces de Soberanía» surgió al debatir sobre los efectos del huracán María. La importancia de los tubérculos tradicionales, como la malanga, la yuca y el ñame, se hizo evidente para muchos cuando todos los demás cultivos, que no crecen bajo tierra como estos, quedaron destruidos. Los agricultores mayores ayudaron a los más jóvenes a propagar estos cultivos, garantizando así el intercambio de conocimientos y el crecimiento de la soberanía alimentaria.

The name for the project “Raíces de Soberanía”, came about when discussing the impacts of Hurricane Maria. The importance traditional root crops like, Malanga, Yuca and Ñame became obvious to many when all other crops, which do not grow underground like these, were destroyed. Old farmers helped younger ones propagate these crops, ensuring knowledge be shared and food sovereignty grown!

#agroecology #agroecologia #puertorico #hurricanemaria #roots #resistanceisfertile #foodsovereignty #soberaniaalimentaria

https://milpamerica.org/p/raices/920956153488131738

El huracán María causó una destrucción enorme cuando azotó Puerto Rico en 2017. No solo dejó a la gente sin comida, agua ni electricidad durante meses, sino que también causó daños importantes en muchas granjas. Sin embargo, la resiliencia de la naturaleza puede inspirarnos y las crisis pueden ser momentos importantes para reflexionar, reorganizarnos y volver a imaginar lo que es posible.

Hurricane Maria caused extensive destruction when it hit Puerto Rico in 2017. Only only were people left with no food, water and electricity for months, but many farms were significantly damaged. However the resilience of nature can inspire us and crises can be powerful moments to reflect, reorganise and reimagine what is possible.

#agroecology #agroecologia #puertorico #hurricanemaria

#PuertoRicans are devising the #FoodSystem of tomorrow

by Ayurella Horn-Muller, September 3, 2025

Excerpt: "In the wake of #HurricaneMaria, many residents of #PuertoRico, especially those working to improve the archipelago’s local food system, began to think about hurricane preparedness differently. Because they weren’t able to rely on federal assistance, they decided to build their own prototypes of #resilience, which didn’t just set them up to be ready for the next storm, but also set them up to live better everyday lives. #Cooperatives, #gardens, and school-based agricultural programs emerged to fill the gaps left by the government. #Barter networks and local farmers markets have become increasingly popular. #MutualAid kitchens and community-led supermarkets have also expanded their work, ramping up donations, surplus food, and partnerships with nearby producers. These projects aren’t just temporary disaster responses. They are models of long-term resilience and food independence. They are living blueprints of what food sovereignty could look like in Puerto Rico — and elsewhere."

Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/puerto-ricans-devising-food-system-084500883.html

#SolarPunkSunday #ClimateChange #FoodInsecurity #Resiliency #BuildingCommunity #FoodSovereignty #ClimateResilience #SharingKnowledge #CircularEconomy #GrowYourOwn

Meanwhile, #BackInTheUSColony

> Government Dysfunction and LUMA’s Infighting Stall Puerto Rico’s Power Grid Recovery https://periodismoinvestigativo.com/2025/09/puerto-rico-power-grid-reconstruction-delays-luma-fema/

FTA: "The result: no one is taking responsibility for the delays and inefficiencies in rebuilding the electrical grid, eight years after Hurricane Maria."

#HurricaneMaria #PuertoRico #corruption #AmericanEmpire #MastodonPR