Environmentalists sue Puerto Rican government over location of renewable energy projects
Activists and environmental groups including the Sierra Club are suing Puerto Rico’s government over the planned location of dozens of renewable energy projects meant to ease the U.S. territory’s power woes
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Activists and environmental groups including the Sierra Club sued Puerto Rico’s government Monday over the planned location of dozens of renewable energy projects meant to ease the U.S. territory’s power woes.
The lawsuit claims the projects would be built on lands that are ecologically sensitive and of high agricultural value, a violation of local laws.
The groups requested that a judge prohibit various local government agencies from approving projects on such lands, noting that they should instead be built on roofs, parking lots, landfills in disuse and previously contaminated grounds.
“The loss of prime agricultural land to install solar projects of an industrial magnitude is a serious attack on the food security of Puerto Rico, which is already in precarious condition,” said David Sotomayor, a soils professor at the University of Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau has so far approved 18 projects on more than 2,000 hectares that the lawsuit states are classified as special agricultural reserve and specially protected rustic land.
A spokeswoman for the Energy Bureau did not return a message for comment.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Puerto Rico’s Justice Department, which also was named in the lawsuit, said the agency had not received a copy of the lawsuit and has not been able to review it.
The groups suing also accused the Energy Bureau of withholding the names of the projects and other details because of alleged confidentiality, noting they had to go to court to obtain what is
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