A prolonged power outage that swept across the St. Thomas and St. John District over the weekend and into Monday has intensified debate among Virgin Islands officials over how to address ongoing problems at the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA), with some leaders calling for federal intervention while others insist the territory already has the resources it needs.
Sen. Ray Fonseca renewed his push for congressional involvement Monday, urging lawmakers to approve a resolution asking Congress to authorize federal oversight and management of WAPA’s daily operations. Fonseca described the territory’s unreliable power grid as a crisis threatening the health, safety, and economic well-being of residents.
“We submitted this resolution months ago and the situation has only gotten worse,” Fonseca said. He also called on Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett to introduce federal legislation supporting the effort.
Plaskett, who is running for governor, echoed calls for greater federal involvement. In a statement and video message posted Monday, she urged the Bryan administration to increase transparency, prioritize transmission and distribution improvements, expand funding for energy assistance programs, launch the Virgin Islands Resiliency Gateway, and declare a state of emergency for the territory’s energy system.
According to Plaskett, an emergency declaration could unlock additional federal resources, technical support, expedited permitting, and battery storage solutions to improve grid reliability. She noted that she had asked Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. in both 2019 and 2026 to seek such a declaration.
Bryan confirmed those requests but dismissed the proposal, arguing that WAPA already has access to federal funding and assistance.
“We have all the money and federal help we need,” Bryan said. “What we don’t have is time.”
The governor said WAPA has funding to replace aging power plants and improve service to St. John but emphasized that major infrastructure upgrades cannot happen overnight. He also criticized Plaskett’s comments as politically motivated.
Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach, serving as acting governor while Bryan is off-island, similarly rejected calls for federal intervention, saying Virgin Islanders are capable of solving the crisis themselves.
WAPA Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight described the situation as a “power crisis” but stopped short of calling it an emergency. Knight said the utility already receives federal funding and technical assistance through existing FEMA programs, adding that a new emergency declaration would have little practical effect on WAPA’s operations.
Not everyone agreed. Senate Vice President Kenneth Gittens sharply criticized Knight’s remarks, arguing that residents facing spoiled groceries, damaged appliances, disrupted businesses, and concerns over life-saving medications are already experiencing an emergency.
Gittens also renewed calls for accountability at WAPA, requesting an update from the Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General on a forensic financial audit authorized nearly three years ago. The audit, funded through legislation sponsored by Gittens, has yet to be completed.
“At this point, we need facts, not speculation,” Gittens wrote. “Whatever those findings may be, the people of this Territory deserve to know the truth.”
As officials continue to debate solutions, residents remain caught in the middle of an ongoing struggle with unreliable electricity and mounting frustration over the territory’s energy future.
