Committee of the Whole

THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE – OFFICIAL AGENDA

Thursday, April 09, 2026

Time:                               11:00 A.M.

Call to Order:              Honorable Milton E. Potter, Chairman, Committee of the Whole

Roll Call:                       Mrs. Shenika Dowe-Serrano, Chief Legislative Records

The 36^th Legislature will convene in a Committee of the Whole to receive an update and testimony from the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority regarding the ongoing electrical service interruptions impacting the St. Thomas–St. John District. The Discussion will include, but will not be limited to:

1. A concise chronology of significant outages and rotational interruptions in the St. Thomas–St. John District over the past 30–60 days, including causes, duration, and affected areas.
2. A clear explanation of the current status and condition of the generation units serving the district, including Unit 15 at the Randolph Harley Power Plant, and any associated transmission constraints impacting St. John.
3. An identification of the root causes—technical, operational, and financial—underlying the recent and ongoing outages, beyond general references to “mechanical failure.”
4. A detailed reliability improvement plan for the next 0–6 months and 6–24 months, including specific projects, timelines, cost estimates, and responsible officials, aimed at stabilizing and then
5. Strengthening service in the St. Thomas–St. John District.
6. WAPA’s policies and practices regarding customer communication, outage notification, and claims for loss or damage (including spoiled food and damaged appliances), and any proposed changes to better protect and compensate affected customers.
7. Any statutory, regulatory, or financial actions desired from the Legislature to support implementation of WAPA’s reliability improvement plan.

Invited Testifiers:
Mr. Maurice Muia, Board Chairman, VI Water & Power Authority
Mr. Karl Knight, Executive Director, VI Water & Power Authority
Mr. Eugene Jones, Executive Director, VI Housing Finance Authority
Mrs. Adrienne Williams-Octalien, Director, VI Office of Disaster Recovery
Ms. Sandra Setorie, Executive Director, VI Public Services Commission