A federal audit released Wednesday found that only 25% of some $14 billion in federal funds obligated for Puerto Rico's power grid after Hurricane Maria razed it almost a decade ago has reached the US territory, the AP reports. Of the $11 billion obligated by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency alone, some $2.7 billion has been disbursed, mostly for things like equipment, materials and architecture and engineering design costs, according to the US Government Accountability Office. Obligated funds means the government is legally bound to disburse that money for a specific purpose. The 86-page report is based on an audit from August 2024 to June 2026. It was released by US Democratic lawmakers.
Of the $2.9 billion allotted by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to modernize and repair the grid, only about $589 million had been disbursed as of February. Meanwhile, of the $1 billion obligated by the US Department of Energy, about $255 million has been disbursed, the report found. Some $365 million originally allotted for solar energy projects have since been redirected to the power grid, for "practical fixes and emergency repairs" according to department officials interviewed by auditors. The Department of Energy also canceled up to $350 million in grants under a solar access program, the report noted.
"The people of Puerto Rico have waited nine years for their government to keep its word," Rep. Jared Hoffman, a California Democrat, said in a statement. "They watched billions get appropriated and almost none of it arrive."
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
