CAMBIO and IEEFA secure agreement to obtain documents from Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority-PREPA
May 24, 2019 (Puerto Rico) – The non-profit CAMBIO and Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) obtained a court agreement that the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) pledged to respond to and deliver within 14 days public documents regarding the PREPA privatization process, as well as data about the electrical system.
The agreement between the parties was reached in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Anthony Cuevas Ramos of the Court of First Instance in San Juan. On Friday, the judge responded to the mandamus petition presented by CAMBIO and IEEFA to receive information that they had unsuccessfully attempted to obtain from PREPA since February 2019.
After listening to opening statements, Judge Cuevas Ramos emphasized that access to public information is a constitutional right and that it is the government’s responsibility to be transparent and to provide documents that citizens request. He subsequently declared a recess and invited the parties to discuss making the information public. Ingrid M. Vila Biaggi, engineer and founder of the environmental group CAMBIO, with her attorneys Judith Berkan and Mary Jo Méndez, met and reached some agreements with the attorneys representing PREPA, Fernando Fornaris and Katiuska Bolanos of Cancio Nadal, as well as the legal director of PREPA, Astrid Rodríguez Cruz.
“It was a very productive hearing. The judge was extremely clear on the importance of making public documents accessible to citizens and that the documents must be made available to all. The judge exhorted us to reach an agreement and precisely define the delivery dates of the requested documents,” stated Vila Biaggi.
She added that, as part of the agreement, they requested documents from January 1, 2018 to the present related to the privatization as well as recent data related to the electrical grid. The parties agreed that by June 7, PREPA would respond to the entire information request, indicate whether they possess the requested documentation and, if so, produce it. “Today’s agreement is a very positive step, now we have to see what documents are delivered,” said Vila Biaggi.
She stated further that, for months, the organizations had submitted formal petitions requesting public documents and data from PREPA but had been unable to obtain any response.
Cathy Kunkel of IEEFA stated that, “access to the public documentation of PREPA is fundamental in order to evaluate the impact of the decisions that are being made.”
In their mandamus petition filed with the court, CAMBIO and IEEFA called for specific information regarding any cost-benefit studies that has been carried out to justify the proposed transmission and distribution system concession, as well as documents related to generation proposals, among others.
After providing testimony for the record on the agreements for each information request presented, Judge Cuevas Ramos scheduled a subsequent hearing for June 25 to go over the results of the process of document delivery.
Contact:
Adriana C. Berríos ([email protected]), (787) 586-4071
Nelson Gabriel Berríos ([email protected]), (787) 502-5264
Vivienne Heston ([email protected]), (914) 439-8921
About CAMBIO
CAMBIO promotes responsible and sustainable actions for Puerto Rico through awareness, education, capacity building, and community support, as well as research, design and implementation of strategies and policies.
About IEEFA
The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) conducts research and analysis on financial and economic issues related to energy and the environment. The Institute’s mission is to accelerate the transition to a diverse, sustainable and profitable energy economy.
