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Puerto Rico and Greece could not be more similar in so many regards - islands with mounting debt, slothful work habits, and enormous waste management problems. I am absolutely sure most readers will see this post, and will outright ignore it . . . just the way Puerto Rico's politicians have (for decades) ignored the island's Waste Management Dilemma; the same exact way in which Puerto Rico's current governor scrapped all plans to build the island's first Waste-to-Energy facility in Cambalache Arecibo.
And what, by the way, was his alternate "equal-to or better-than" proposal? Nothing! Absolutely NOTHING!
What was Padilla's reasoning behind canceling the facility? Or a better question… who was to gain/lose if the plant was to be built?
Who was to gain? Puerto Rico was to GAIN! Why? Because according to the Autoridád de Desperdicios Solidos, PR will have no more than 3 active landfills to deal with all of the island's daily discards by 2020.
Look, Waste-to-Energy (WTE) in Puerto Rico dates back to 1988. How do I know this? I was involved in WTE back then. The very first WTE facility proposed in 1988 was to be built, owned, and operated by a company previously known as Ogden Environmental (later renamed Covanta). They proposed a Mass Burn facility - the cheapest WTE type a company could build. Then came Montenay Power - a French company whose lead representative (a German named Wolfram Scheutzenduebel) I personally met with several times. Montenay abandoned all intents to build a WTE facility in PR after the Junta de Calidád Ambiental requested a THIRD Environmental Impact Report, each costing $25,000.
Although there were others, the very last company to propose a viable WTE facility was Energy Answers Corporation (EAC). They proposed building, owning, and operating a 3K Ton/Day WTE facility with Front-end processing, thus making it a high priced, yet highly needed plant in PR. Front-end processing allows for removal/recuperation of recyclable materials prior to combustion. After more than a decade of seeking to build their top-of-the-line WTE facility in PR, EAC was awarded the contract by the Fortuño adminstration. Sadly, this all came to an end a few scant months after the current governor entered office.
I have always believed in a person's RIGHT to oppose anything. However, one's right to OPPOSE automatically results in one's OBLIGATION to PROPOSE an equal-to or better than viable alternate solution. If you cannot match or exceed what is being proposed, then you have no right to oppose the proposed, period! That is exactly what PR's current governor did. He simply scrapped EAC's plans, yet proposed no viable plan of his own. That is a disgraceful act of ignorance.
Guess I didn't phrase my question correctly. Agreed, WTE is long overdue and of course Puerto Rico would be the winner. So why would Garcia Padilla kill the project when it's so obviously needed… Ask who was/is to gain financially from not developing WTE in PR. Why go against such an obviously needed project other than there are special interests who don't wish to see Waste to Energy developed on the island.
My now "limited" understanding is that garcia-padilla (name purposely written in minor case letters) did away with the project in solidarity with those who opposed the project since it's inception phase. As with prior administrations, both PNP and PPD, he has opted to ignore the obvious dilemma visible to those of us in the waste management field. As other administrations have done, he will kick this problem down to whomever succeeds him.
Standard & Poor's just downgraded Puerto Rico credit rating to below investment grade (junk status).
Yeah, I saw that. 70 Billion in debt. What does that mean to the common person on the Island. Higher interest rates from banks and Credit cards. Unfunded pensions for municipal workers. The Island has so much promise it's quite sad to see what's going on.
The Island has so much promise it's quite sad to see what's going on.
yeah? it seems like its greatest promise is the ability of people to move to America. the problem is that the more people that move, the greater the burden on those that stay. im nervous about the future for Puerto rico.
yeah? it seems like its greatest promise is the ability of people to move to America. the problem is that the more people that move, the greater the burden on those that stay. im nervous about the future for Puerto rico.
I am nervous too. I cannot wait for it to be the 51st., state of the USA, even if it becomes the poorest state of the Union.....it can always upgrade itself up, starting with its people.....
I am nervous too. I cannot wait for it to be the 51st., state of the USA, even if it becomes the poorest state of the Union.....it can always upgrade itself up, starting with its people.....
Historically territories have experienced economic booms after gaining statehood. It happened with Alaska, Hawaii, California (the Gold Rush), Arizona, etc. There is no reason why Puerto Rico is doomed to always remain poorer than Mississippi even after it achieves statehood (which IMO is inevitable, it's simply a question of how long the Populares and their allies can delay it).
Hawaii was pretty poor back in the 1920s and 30s as well ... now it's pretty well off.
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