Puerto Rico Morning Brief Saturday, November 14, 2026

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) again authorized takeoffs and landings of commercial and cargo flights after nearly five hours of halted air traffic across the United States and Puerto Rico. The ground stop ended once a failure in the agency’s communications system was fixed. The White House said the incident was not related to a cyberattack and that a data overload is believed to have caused the suspension. Authorities warned that returning to normal operations could take several hours because of the accumulated disruptions.

Governor Jenniffer González lifted the price freeze on essential goods and services tied to the drought emergency. The emergency had sharply reduced water reserves in the island’s main reservoirs over recent months. She signed an amendment to Executive Order OE-2026-035 ending the freeze, effective immediately on Friday, November 13. In a press release, the government said the decision responds to changes in the conditions that led to the emergency declaration.

Three companies interested in supplying natural gas to the San Juan and Palo Seco power plants in Toa Baja refused on Thursday, November 12, to negotiate directly with New Fortress Energy. They demanded payment guarantees from the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), a committee investigating the company’s fuel-supply failures was told. The Third Independent Procurement Office, acting on instructions from the Public-Private Partnerships Authority, had been in talks since November 3 with Crowley, Naturgy and Javelin. The talks aim to set up an alternate supply mechanism known as tolling.

Puerto Rico’s Senate approved, with 21 votes in favor, a bill that bans transgender people from taking part in school and university sports teams that do not match the sex assigned at birth. The measure also calls for medical tests to certify athletes’ sex when disputes arise. During the legislative debate, various sectors objected and warned of possible privacy violations and the emotional impact on students.

Treasury Secretary Ángel Pantoja Rodríguez said on Friday, November 13, that he ordered a transfer of $9,889,932 to the General Services Administration. The money is to pay for fuel and cover needs over the coming months. The two agencies agreed to hold additional meetings in the coming days to address operational matters and follow up on the commitments made. Pantoja said the Treasury Department will keep handling matters under its authority and working with other agencies where coordination is required.

Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz filed two bills aimed at easing electricity costs for customers and tapping additional generation sources to support the power system, according to a press release. Electricity currently costs 33.86 cents per kilowatt hour. Senate Resolution 657 would shift the cost of electric subsidies from ratepayers’ bills to the General Fund. It would use part of the $904.2 million in contract savings the government reported, with a 60-day deadline to identify the money and file legislation.

Senate Resolution 657 would set a 60-day deadline to identify the money and file legislation.