Repairs to begin on Guajataca Dam 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has signed a $1 billion deal with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to begin permanent repairs and improvements on Puerto Rico’s Guajataca Dam. The funds will support reconstruction of the dam, including design, engineering, procurement, contract administration, construction supervision, and project management. Much of the funds will flow through FEMA and the project is expected to be completed by 2028. The Lake Guajataca Reservoir provides drinking water for 300,000 people and agricultural irrigation. The new effort will restore the dam, originally built in 1928, to full hydroelectric capacity for the first time since a critical failure that followed Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Hundreds of millions of unused federal funds set to expire in September 

The Puerto Rican government has not spent nearly half (47%) of the federal funds distributed to the Island under the second phase of the Emergency School and Secondary Education Relief Fund program. If they are not used by September 30 of this year, the money will roll back to the federal government. The U.S. Department of Education gave more than $1.3 billion to the Island to keep schools open during the pandemic, but the government of Puerto Rico has only spent about $695 million so far. This is part of a pattern, as the government also failed to spend $23 million in phase one funding that expired in September 2022 and thus far has only spent 20% of phase three funding that expires in September 2024.

Construction labor shortage hits Puerto Rico 

Puerto Rico has experienced a shortage of construction workers as both skilled and unskilled laborers leave the Island to pursue higher wages and better benefits on the mainland. According to El Vocero, there are 2,000 licensed civil engineers on the Island, but only 20 graduated last year from the Universidad Politécnica de Puerto Rico. Demand for construction workers across Puerto Rico is extremely high because of reconstruction funds and Biden Administration infrastructure resources, but projects may stall unless wages and benefits improve.

Goodwill Industries announces new services

Goodwill Industries International is expanding its services in Puerto Rico with two new retail locations and a new outlet, bringing as many as 80 jobs to the Island. The services will operate under the new “Goodwill de Puerto Rico” brand name and in partnership with Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana.