House Oversight Subcommittee Issues Testimony From Puerto Rico Central Office of Recovery & Reconstruction
"Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss
"As you are aware, Hurricanes Irma and Maria presented
"Because of the impacts from these disasters and the opportunity that the recovery efforts provide,
"We recognize that long before the 2017 disasters,
"As
"The massive destruction and devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 has been documented before
"We are now 21 months into our recovery and dealing with over
"The Governor's Recovery Plan set forth an ambitious and far-reaching vision for the future of Puerto Rico.3 Beyond mere recovery, the vision expressed in the plan seeks to rebuild the infrastructure and environment of
"The Capital Investments focus on the following foundational areas: Energy; Communication/Information Technology; Water; Transportation; Housing; Public Buildings; Education; Health and Social Services; and, Natural and Cultural Resources. The Strategic Initiatives are designed to move beyond infrastructure recovery and focus on the following areas of long-term social and economic growth: Enhancing the Ocean and Visitor Economies; Modernization of Emergency Services; Agricultural Transformation; Digital Transformation; Transition to a 21st Century Workforce; Entrepreneurship Expansion; and, Reduction of Policy and Structural Barriers to Support Advanced Manufacturing.
"Last year, we took the first steps by assigning each COA to a state government agency to act as the lead entity in its implementation. A total of 30 agencies were selected to be COA leads. Currently, each of the selected agencies has been tasked with developing specific action plans for the accomplishment of each COA under their purview. Each plan will describe the projects and related steps that must be taken, identify the funding sources, and lay out a timeline for completion.
"To ensure proper oversight, coordination, and execution of the COAs, the Governor established the Central
"A series of decisions by Federal agencies have slowed our post-disaster recovery, compared to the post-disaster recovery in other jurisdictions stateside. These actions threaten the timely and successful execution of our Recovery Plan. Among these are: inconsistencies in the
"An additional - and looming - threat to our recovery and reconstruction efforts is the upcoming
"Throughout the recovery process, a key function of COR3 has been to work collaboratively with
"As we consider our ever-changing global environment and how we can work together to protect our planet, I am proud to report that
"The question of
"The unfortunate reality is that Federal policy towards
"The current reform process happening in
"Despite our many challenges, the state of the
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Footnotes:
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2 Gov.
3
4 Act 17-2019
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