Biden speaks to Puerto Rico Gov, Energy Secretary about power outages

President Biden said he spoke with the governor of Puerto Rico and the energy secretary after a blackout hit nearly all of the island early Tuesday morning.

During their talk, Biden offered Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi any federal assistance they needed after more than 1 million Puerto Ricans went without power earlier in the day, according to the White House. Biden also directed Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to continue to offer any assistance to speed power restoration.

While blackouts are rare in Puerto Rico, the island has struggled with power outages since 2017 after Hurricane Maria destabilized the territory’s power grid.

Amid the outages, the territory’s incoming Congress representatives promised to address concerns once in office.

“Once sworn in, I will collaborate closely with Congressional leaders and the incoming administrations in Puerto Rico and the United States to deliver real, lasting solutions,” Resident Commissioner-elect Pablo Hernández Rivera declared in a statement.

“Our people deserve reliable energy and a brighter future — we will not settle for any less.”

Luma Energy, the power company that supplies Puerto Rico, said it had restored service to 42% of people by 10:30 p.m. local time. The company said earlier on Tuesday that power would be restored to the island in 24 to 48 hours.

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