Energy Stability in Insular Regions

Floor Speech

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Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak about the need for congressional support for energy stability in offshore, isolated and underserved areas. In the Virgin Islands, we are acutely aware of the impacts of climate change, including the increasing frequency and severity of hurricanes, as evidenced in 2017 with two Category 5 hurricanes hitting our home.

Energy remains the single most critical factor for our territory's future. High electricity costs and power instability continue to hamper economic recovery. Systemic energy instability has direct and indirect negative impacts on sustainable economic development, which magnifies existing societal vulnerabilities.

The Biden-Harris administration's energy policy offers the Virgin Islands and places like it a transformative opportunity, including the Energy Department's State Energy Program and Loan Programs Office, the Interior Department's Energizing Insular Communities, and EPA's Solar for All programs.

We must continue to utilize and champion this administration's vision to enable disadvantaged, isolated areas to define and implement our energy future through a modern-day lens, fundamentally addressing our needs as we see them.

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