Every one of our clients gets top-tier legal representation, free of charge. And we win.
Which is why your support is so crucial.
We can’t keep fighting for our planet without your help.
Earthjustice is a nonprofit in the business of building a better future. We’re here because the earth needs a good lawyer.
The entire territory of Puerto Rico is without electricity and thousands of residents are without access to drinking water after Hurricane Fiona barreled through the archipelago on Sun., Sept. 18.
The storm brought unprecedented levels of rain, according to local reports. In the words of Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, the reported damages are “catastrophic.”
Nuestro Bosque Solar y la infraestructura instalada intacta. A muchos la energía de resguardo les sirvió bien durante el paso de Fiona. Tan pronto salga el, la generación en el punto de consumo regresa en lugares remotos que quedan rezagados por semanas del sistema central. pic.twitter.com/G98RT8oJA0
— Casa Pueblo (@casapuebloorg) September 19, 2022
Puerto Rico continues to remain beholden to an obsolete centralized energy grid that cannot withstand the current effects of climate change, even after the sweeping loss of human lives and natural destruction brought by Hurricane Maria in 2017.
It took nearly a year to restore electricity to all of Puerto Rico’s three million residents after Hurricane Maria. An estimated 3,000 people lost their lives.
A network of rooftop solar panels is being built by the grassroots environmental coalition, Alliance for Renewable Energy Now (Alianza para Energía Renovable Ahora) — represented by Earthjustice — with the goal of revolutionizing the way Puerto Rico harnesses and distributes energy.
“Distributed energy generation in Puerto Rico has proven its resilience through storms,” explains Raghu Murthy, senior attorney in Earthjustice’s Clean Energy Program.
But the coalition has faced stiff opposition from fossil fuel companies that want to keep Puerto Rico reliant on oil and gas imports.
Additional ways you can help: Add your voice in calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure investments fund a climate-resilient, 100% clean energy system for Puerto Rico.
A group of volunteers help install a solar power system on a community elder's home at Puente de Jobos in Guayama, P.R., on Mar. 20, 2021. The initiative by the group Comunidad Guayamesa Unidos por tu Salud (Guayama’s Community United for Your Health) has installed more than 10 solar powered systems in the area.