Hernaliz Vázquez Torres, director of Sierra Club Puerto Rico, appeared before the New York City Council to ask that the Esencia Project in Cabo Rojo be halted. She questioned why the Puerto Rico government would consider granting the project roughly $500 million in tax credits while questions about its water supply remain unresolved. The environmental group presented its position Monday during a public hearing of the Council's Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations, which considered four resolutions related to Puerto Rico, including Resolution 494, expressing solidarity with people and organizations seeking to stop the Esencia Project.
Sierra Club backed the resolution's approval, arguing concerns go beyond environmental impact to include water availability, public access to coastlines, displacement, climate change, and use of public resources and incentives. Vázquez Torres told the committee that residents would bear the consequences for their coast, ecosystems, and ability to remain in their communities. The article also references Luquillo's municipal recovery plan, noting that wetlands in a corridor served as a natural barrier against winds and storm surge and absorbed rainwater during hurricanes Irma and Maria.