Letter to the Hon. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader and the Hon. Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader - Sens. Franken, Murkowski Lead Bipartisan Push to Rebuild Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands with Resilient, Sustainable Infrastructure

Letter

Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer:

As you consider ways to provide assistance for the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands after the devastation brought by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, we respectfully request that
infrastructure be rebuilt in a resilient and sustainable way that reduces the threat of damage from
future disasters.

While immediate assistance should focus on essential supplies to protect the safety of
individuals, over the long-term we should help rebuild infrastructure--like the electric grid with
modem technologies that are stronger and more resilient against extreme weather events.
Hurricanes Irma and Maria exposed the vulnerability of the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands
electric grids to extreme weather with some communities projected to face months without
reliable power. This is unacceptable.

Rebuilding the grid with modem technologies will improve reliability and can save residents
money. Decentralized energy resources operating in microgrids are more likely to remain
functioning during and after storms. There are many instances of distributed energy keeping
important facilities online after natural disasters, including the Texas Medical Center, the largest
medical complex in the world, which has a combined heat and power plant that kept running
during Hurricane Harvey. The rapidly declining costs of distributed clean energy technologies
like solar, wind, energy efficiency, and battery storage in many instances makes them more
affordable than existing power generation.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria wreaked destruction and caused enormous human suffering in Puerto
Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We believe that it is imperative that we provide the necessary
federal assistance for the millions of Americans trying to recover. We also request that federal
assistance allow communities to rebuild more resilient and sustainable infrastructure that is less
vulnerable to extreme weather. Thank you for your consideration of this request.