The reason your power bill is so high is because the equipment used to generate it is inefficient, out of date and poorly maintained. And the reason those conditions exist is because the Government does not pay its bill. That is the conclusion of a report issued in December, 2009, by the Office of the...
Read more »
(Update: The Virgin Islands Public Services Commission voted Thursday to decrease the electric LEAC approximately 2.7% and to increase the water LEAC 5.2%. The PSC had been expected to consider an increase in both LEAC factors but the decrease in the cost of fuel between the initial request and the present time caused the...
Read more »
So the message is that if you can pay it back, it’s ok for you to steal it. What else are we left to conclude after Superior Court Judge Brenda Hollar allowed a St. Thomas convenience store owner to walk free because he paid back more than $340,000 in restitution for power he stole...
Read more »
(Editor’s Note: The Alpine Power Purchase Agreements for St. Thomas and St. Croix are attached at the end of this document at no charge for your review.) In a meeting that violated the public notice provisions of the Virgin Islands Code, the Virgin Islands Public Services Commission (PSC) voted to approve the agreement between the Alpine Energy...
Read more »
(Editor’s Note: This article has been updated after further review of the PSC response to our inquiry about the notification of the AEG public hearings going on yesterday and today. CIF is challenging the premise of the PSC response and has updated this post to highlight the discrepancies.) Crucians In Focus (CIF) has received a response...
Read more »
The entire agreement between Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) and the Alpine Energy Group (AEG) may be invalid. Research into documents related to this project, including the attached testimony of WAPA Executive Director Hugo Hodge, Jr., reveal that the critical Request For Proposal (RFP) criterion for a non-oil based renewable energy provider was...
Read more »
It seems that both the Virgin Islands Public Services Commission (PSC) and the Water and Power Authority (WAPA) need a lesson in communication, transparency and the law. Both agencies appear to be deliberately making it difficult, if not impossible, for the public to be prepared for the hastily publicized hearings on the agreements with...
Read more »
CIF Requests Postponement; Late Notice Raises Legal Red Flags If there was ever an issue to cause our community to cry out for transparency, this is it. The Virgin Islands Public Services Commission (PSC) will violate the 15-day advance notice provision of the Virgin Islands Code if public hearings on the Alpine Energy Group (AEG)...
Read more »
The Virgin Islands Public Services Commission (PSC) has scheduled public hearings on the controversial “waste to energy” deal with the Alpine Energy Group (AEG) on October 5-6. The PSC may render a decision on the matter as early as October 6, following the end of the second day of hearings. And despite all the discussion this...
Read more »
This is the tale of two energy entrepreneurs whose journey to free the Virgin Islands from the grip of fossil fuels has stalled at a guardhouse erected by the VI government bureaucracy. The first tale was sent to us by Steffen Larsen, who has built his business, Mitchell-Larsen Studios, on a foundation of alternate energy principles....
Read more »
On Tuesday, the PSC board approved a 22.9-percent increase in the electric Levelized Energy Adjustment Clause (LEAC) rate and a 14.6 percent increase in the water LEAC rate. This action will raise the average monthly residential electric bill to $209.29 and the average residential water bill to $63.16 for a household using 2,400 gallons...
Read more »
Guest Opinion by Gonzalo Rivera Eighteen months ago we went to the polls and elected a new governor and fifteen senators to represent us, yet today we are faced with the same challenges that existed at the time. Only difference between now and then is the fact that our representatives receive a bigger salary...
Read more »
What would candidate deJongh do to address our most pressing issue; the cost of living? Candidate deJongh On Cost of Living – Vol 1 To date, we have witnessed: -Press releases and press conferences on the formation of committees and task force groups Share on Facebook
Read more »
Buckling under the pressure of the frequent rate increases? Impatient waiting for action from your government? Candidate deJongh’s reply in the October 31, 2006 VI Daily News Voter Guide: (click image below to view) Talks only started on March 14th of 2008 , a whole year and 3 months after inauguration. We hope progress...
Read more »
Guest Opinion by Dwane A. Callwood I would like to take the opportunity to offer what I perceive to be a viable solution to our current energy crisis, here in the US Virgin Islands. Before I get into the specifics, please allow me to preface my idea with certain acknowledgments. I acknowledge that the...
Read more »
As the Chairperson for the Committee on Education, Youth and Culture, first-term Senator Janette Millin-Young has received more notoriety for her travel preferences than for any substantive actions to address the glaring issues in our educational system.
Thought of initially as one who would quietly follow, Millin-Young has shown recent faint glimmers of enlightenment, but our jury is still out on where she will fall as we enter a phase where all elected officials will be called upon to take a stand – on one side of the line or the other.
But for now, it’s your opinion we’re interested in. If the election was held today…
As many of you heard recently, CIF President Michael Springer, at left, delivered the first in a series of radio announcements that will target specific issues and offer analysis on our most pressing concerns.
The feedback on the comments was extremely positive, so CIF will sponsor then as often as possible, and we thank those of you who have already donated! But airtime costs money and we're seeking your help.
If you'd like to help keep our voices on the air, please donate whatever you can using the PayPal button below. We thank you in advance for your support.
Loading ...