Senator Ray Fonseca is urgently calling on the Legislature of the Virgin Islands to pass his resolution petitioning the United States Congress to authorize federal oversight and management of the daily operations of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA), as residents across the territory continue to endure widespread and prolonged power outages that began Friday night. Our power grid is unreliable on St. Thomas/St. John.
“WAPA cannot keep the lights on,” said Senator Fonseca. “Our residents have suffered enough. This is not just an inconvenience — this is a crisis that threatens the health, safety, and economic wellbeing of every person in this territory.”
Senator Fonseca first submitted resolution BR No. 25-0906 back on November 3, 2025, calling on Congress to authorize federal intervention in the daily running and management of WAPA, including full oversight of all contracts, bids, procurements, and expenditures. This weekend’s outages are a stark reminder that the urgency of that call has only grown.
“We submitted this resolution months ago and the situation has only gotten worse,” said Senator Fonseca. “It is time for the Legislature to act. Pass this resolution and let us send a united message to Congress that the people of the Virgin Islands need and deserve federal intervention now.”
Senator Fonseca believes that if Congress were to create a special intervention framework for WAPA, several strong federal options exist that could bring immediate and lasting relief to Virgin Islands residents:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is best positioned to provide emergency stabilization and hands-on infrastructure management, making it an ideal first responder for a utility in crisis. The U.S. Department of Energy brings deep expertise in utility operations, grid reliability, and long-term modernization — critical tools for transforming WAPA into a sustainable, resilient system. Most comprehensively, a federally authorized management board combining the Department of Energy, FEMA, and the Army Corps of Engineers would bring substantial federal resources, expertise, and accountability to immediately address WAPA’s financial, operational, and infrastructure challenges.
“Any one of these approaches would be a dramatic improvement over the status quo,” said Senator Fonseca. “But what matters most right now is that Congress acts — and that our Legislature sends them the message that we are united in demanding it.”
The resolution calls upon President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Secretary of Energy Christopher Wright, Lieutenant General William H. “Butch” Graham Jr. of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Governor Albert Bryan, and the Delegate to Congress to take all necessary measures to stabilize the territory’s grid and protect ratepayers.
“The Virgin Islands is a U.S. territory and an important port of entry to the United States,” Senator Fonseca stated. “The reliability of our power grid is imperative to the quality of life and livelihood of all Virgin Islanders.”
Senator Fonseca is also urging the Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress to introduce and champion corresponding federal legislation without delay.
“Our people deserve the same reliable power and water services that every American expects. The Legislature must pass this resolution so we can get Congress to act. We cannot wait any longer”
For more information, please contact the Office of Senator Ray Fonseca at 340-693-3577 or by email at SenatorRayFonseca@legvi.org.
