Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández advocated before leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to preserve Puerto Rico initiatives worth more than $85 million in a water infrastructure bill. Given that the legislation could end up in a conference committee to reconcile Senate and House of Representatives versions, Hernández asked committee chair Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, and the ranking Democrat, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, to keep his office informed.
The bill’s main initiative would make $75 million available for Puerto Rico projects by the Army Corps of Engineers. The legislation would also allow new impact studies to move forward for a flood control project on the Río Puerto Nuevo in San Juan. In a press release, Hernández said: "Puerto Rico needs better water infrastructure, communities better protected from flooding, and action for our coasts. We are already advancing these priorities in the House and now I am working to make sure they reach the finish line."