DOE redirects $365 million from Puerto Rico's solar projects to oil-dependent power grid
The U.S. Department of Energy announced Wednesday that $365 million originally slated for solar projects in Puerto Rico will be diverted to improve the island's crumbling power grid, sparking an outcry just days before the Atlantic hurricane season starts.
The funds had been in limbo in recent weeks, with the Department of Energy missing a recent deadline to finalize contracts worth $365 million that would see battery-operated solar systems installed at health clinics and public housing units in Puerto Rico.
The money had been set aside for that purpose under the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden.
'That money was spring loaded to flow now,' said Javier Rúa Jovet, public policy director for Puerto Rico's Solar and Energy Storage Association.
He and others criticized the move.
'This is shameful,' Democratic New York Rep. Nydia Velázquez wrote on X, noting that the funds were meant to serve the most vulnerable.
'Republicans have turned their backs on those who need it most, just 1 week before the start of hurricane season,' she wrote.
Grantees that include the nonprofit Hispanic Federation had said the funds were urgently needed to provide stable power to people including those on dialysis as major outages continue to hit Puerto Rico.
'Pretending that reallocating these funds will make any immediate difference on the stability of the electric grid, when the grid already has an $18 billion allocation, is just a way to distract from the real consequences of their decision. Puerto Rico deserves better,' said Frankie Miranda, the federation's CEO and president.
The Department of Energy said in a statement that the money would now be used 'to support technologies that improve system flexibility and response, power flow and control, component strength, supply security, and safety.'
A spokesperson for the Department of Energy told The Associated Press that the money would used for things including upgrading aging infrastructure, clearing vegetation from transmission lines and dispatching baseload generation units. The department said it has final authority over how the funds will be used, adding that the solar projects were not scheduled to be constructed until 2026.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement that redirecting the funds would ensure that 'taxpayer dollars are used to strengthen access to affordable, reliable and secure power, benefiting more citizens as quickly as possible.'
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González praised the move in a statement, saying it would help all 3.2 million residents on the island instead of 'a few customers.'
'Puerto Rico is facing an energy emergency that requires we act now and deliver immediate solutions. Our communities, businesses, and healthcare facilities cannot afford to wait years, nor can we rely on piecemeal approaches with limited results,' she said.
González previously came under fire as her support for investing $1 billion of federal funds in solar projects across Puerto Rico appeared to fade.
A spokeswoman for the governor did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment and details.
A spokeswoman for Josué Colón, the island's so-called energy czar, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dwindling power generation
Rúa Jovet noted that there are currently at least $16 billion in unspent funds from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency meant to improve Puerto Rico's electric grid, adding that the $365 million should be used for its original purpose.
'There is nothing faster and better than solar batteries,' he said. 'We should all be moving as fast as we can on generation.'
Officials in Puerto Rico already have warned that there will be a shortage of generation this summer. In addition, the Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1, and it is predicted to be above average, with nine anticipated hurricanes, four of them major.
Many in Puerto Rico worry that any storm, regardless of how small, could knock out the grid given its fragile state.
Puerto Rico already was hit with island-wide blackouts on Dec. 31 and April 16.
The diversion of funds come as González criticizes the work of Luma Energy, which oversees transmission and distribution of power on the island, and Genera PR, which oversees generation.
The two private companies were contracted by the previous administration as Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority struggled to restructure more than $9 billion in public debt, with mediation still stalled.
'Elections have consequences'
Under Biden, there was a push for more renewable energy projects in Puerto Rico, where crews are still rebuild the power grid after Hurricane Maria hit in September 2017 as a powerful Category 4 storm. But the grid was already weak before the storm hit given a lack of maintenance and investment for decades.
Rúa Jovet said the Department of Energy's decision is an ideological one supported by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Of the $1 billion allocated for solar projects in Puerto Rico under Biden, $450 million already has been granted to install solar rooftop and batteries in thousands of homes located in rural areas or whose occupants have medical needs.
Overall, roughly 117,000 homes and businesses on the island currently have solar rooftops.
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Forbes
29 minutes ago
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LA Protests: National Guard Troops Have Detained Protesters (Live Updates)
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June 7The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it had arrested two people Saturday evening for alleged assault on a police officer, stating multiple officers had been injured by a Molotov cocktail, the Los Angeles Times reported. 10:34 exhibited 'violent behavior' toward federal agents and local law enforcement, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement, while clarifying it is not involved in federal law enforcement response and is instead focused on crowd and traffic control. 10:22 a post on X, Newsom said the federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying soldiers in Los Angeles solely to create a 'spectacle.' 10:06 announced in a post on X the Department of Defense is 'mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles,' stating Marines are standing by for deployment in case of violence. 9:17 House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Trump would deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to address 'lawlessness,' citing protests targeting immigration officers. Similar protests have spread to other cities across the U.S., including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boston, Santa Ana, California, and parts of Texas, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. At least 80 protesters were arrested in New York, while 15 were arrested in Philadelphia, more than a dozen were arrested in Austin and one was detained in Dallas. At least two police officers were injured during protests in Philadelphia. Los Angeles Metro Police officers stand on the road in front of city hall Tuesday night. People take part in an anti-ICE protest in New York City on Tuesday. Protesters walk by the Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago on Tuesday. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday. Protests broke out Friday and Saturday in Paramount and Compton, cities adjacent to Los Angeles, over immigration raids conducted by ICE, during which the agency detained 44 immigrants Friday and 118 immigrants Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Police and protesters clashed over the weekend, according to local reports and videos on social media, with law enforcement using tear gas and flash grenades to break up the crowds while some protesters threw rocks and lit vehicles on fire. Glendale, California, announced Sunday the city had terminated an agreement with Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allowed the agencies to house federal detainees at the city's police facility. Glendale officials said the move was 'a local decision and was not made lightly,' as the city 'recognizes that public perception of the ICE contract—no matter how limited or carefully managed, no matter the good—has become divisive.' Glendale's city manager opted to end the contract after 'careful evaluation of legal, operational and community considerations,' the city said, noting the decision was not 'politically driven.' Trump reportedly said in a memo he is invoking Title 10 of the U.S. Code on Armed Services, which allows the federal government to deploy the National Guard if the United States is 'invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation,' or if there is a 'rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' Vice President JD Vance said in a post on X on Saturday night the influx of immigrants, which he called 'Biden's border crisis,' amounts to an 'invasion,' rebuffing critics who have questioned whether Trump had the authority to deploy troops. Trump's move has faced some pushback from constitutional scholars. 'For the federal government to take over the California National Guard, without the request of the governor, to put down protests is truly chilling,' Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law, told the Los Angeles Times. The legal issues raised by Trump sending the National Guard to L.A. (Los Angeles Times)
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31 minutes ago
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LA curfew for ICE protests curbs violence overnight as Trump and Newsom clash continues
Mayor Karen Bass said she hopes the first night of the downtown Los Angeles curfew can serve as an example, as tensions simmered Tuesday night while immigration enforcement officers and a military presence remain in place following a weekend of intense protests. "There was no looting, there was no violence, there was no vandalism," Bass told CBS News Los Angeles during an interview Wednesday morning. "So what I am hoping, after [Tuesday night], is that people understand that we are very serious about the curfew." The curfew was instated on Tuesday after days of protests against a string of immigration enforcement operations throughout Southern California. Bass said the curfew will be enacted daily until it's no longer deemed necessary. Between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. each day, access is restricted downtown from the 5 Freeway to the 110 Freeway and from the 10 Freeway to where the 110 Freeway and 5 Freeway merge. The restricted area covers about one of the 502 square miles in the city of L.A. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: Police officers mobilize to enforce a curfew after it went into effect during a protest against ICE raids on June 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Tensions in the city remain high after the Trump administration called in the National Guard against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and city leaders. Earlier today, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass enacted a curfew from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m., saying it was "to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting." / Getty Images In Bass's view, the curfew is more of a deterrent to those looking to commit violence or vandalism than the deployment of the National Guard. In recent days, Mr. Trump deployed 2,000 troops with the National Guard and 700 U.S. Marines to L.A. after testy protests over the weekend in downtown L.A. and the cities of Paramount and Compton. During those events, clashes between the L.A. Police Department and civilians were prominent, with officers oftentimes using non-lethal uses of force like tear gas and rubber bullets. Similar events continued downtown on Sunday, which Bass believes was brought on by Trump's decision. "I'm just perplexed to know what he is going to do with troops here that are not needed and the Marines," Bass said. "As far as I'm concerned, it is a provocative measure. I think it will contribute to disorder." Bass then reiterated that "disorder" in the city has been mostly limited to about five streets in downtown L.A. While speaking to CBS News Los Angeles, she implied that she believes there may be an ulterior motive to the deployment, other than safety measures. "I feel like we're a laboratory for an experiment that they're testing out in our city," Bass said. A power struggle ensues Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke to Californians on Tuesday night in a statewide address, where he challenged Mr. Trump's authority to deploy military forces to the streets of L.A. "Trump, without consulting California leaders, commandeered 2,000 of our state's National Guard members to deploy on our streets illegally and for no reason," Newsom said. "This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president enflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk." Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide address on Tuesday evening, where he spoke out against President Trump's decision to send the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles. Office of Gavin Newsom Newsom filed a lawsuit against Mr. Trump on Monday, asking a judge to "prevent the use of federalized National Guard and active duty Marines for law enforcement purposes on the streets of a civilian city." On Tuesday, a judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order and instead scheduled a court hearing for Thursday, giving Mr. Trump's legal team time to respond. Mr. Trump has defended the decision to send military forces to L.A. by citing "incompetence" in local and state leaders, namely Bass and Newsom. In a post to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump said, "The INCOMPETENT Governor of California was unable to provide protection in a timely manner when our ICE Officers, GREAT Patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" In another post on Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump claimed that L.A. would be "burning to the ground right now, just like so much of their housing," referencing devastating wildfires that burned thousands of structures in Los Angeles and Altadena earlier this year. Newsom, in his address Tuesday, claimed that the "downward spiral" began after Mr. Trump sent in the National Guard, refuting the president's opinion that the military presence has prevented violence. The governor endorsed the prosecution of individuals who become violent during demonstrations. On Wednesday, federal prosecutors brought charges against two L.A. County men who allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at law enforcement during protests on Saturday and Sunday. ICE operations continue During the White House press briefing on Wednesday morning, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that 330 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in the Los Angeles area since June 6. 113 of those have prior criminal convictions, she claims. CBS News Los Angeles reached out to ICE on Wednesday to verify those claims. ICE redirected CBS News Los Angeles to the White House for verification. During her appearance on KCAL News Mornings on Wednesday, Bass said she believes that the overwhelming majority of those detained and arrested do not have a criminal record. She said ICE operations have continued throughout the week. On Saturday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragán, who represents parts of L.A.'s South Bay, told CBS News that ICE enforcement and removal operations are expected daily for the next 30 days in L.A. County. More demonstrations Tuesday's demonstrations appeared to be much smaller than those on previous days. Protesters briefly entered the southbound lanes of the 101 Freeway near downtown, but officers with the California Highway Patrol were quick to form skirmish lines. In a news release, the LAPD said hundreds were arrested on Tuesday night for various reasons. 203 people were arrested on suspicion of failure to disperse, police said, while 17 were arrested for curfew violations. There were three additional arrests for possession of a firearm, one for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and one for discharging a laser at an LAPD airship. On Wednesday morning, more small gatherings appeared outside the Federal Building downtown, although they appeared to be peaceful.
