March 19, 2021 Rob Fairweather Acting Director Office of Management and Budget The White House 725 17th Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20503 Dear Acting Director Fairweather: I respectfully write to urge the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to include within the President's budget request to Congress for FY 2022 funding for two ongoing United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) projects in Puerto Rico. The most important projects are the dredging of the San Juan Harbor and the dredging of the Caño Martín Peña Ecosystem Restoration Project (CMP). Caño Martín Peña Ecosystem Restoration Project It is of utmost importance to the Government of Puerto Rico that the USACE moves towards the construction phase to advance this critical project for environmental restoration, economic revitalization, and flood protection in a timely manner. Once commenced, the project will generate new economic development opportunities for Puerto Rico while reducing the vulnerability of critical infrastructures, such as the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. It will also transform the city by providing a new inland waterfront and recovering its environmental assets. There is a comprehensive development plan, policy, and institutional framework, as well as a feasibility report and a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliant environmental impact statement for the ecosystem restoration piece, elaborated under the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA). The sponsor of the project, ENLACE, has leveraged over 100 million dollars and other resources from local, state, and to a lesser extent, the federal government, local and U.S. foundations, and private partners, towards implementing the comprehensive development plan. At a time of severe political, economic, fiscal,
and financial challenges, Puerto Rico's capacity to further invest in the ENLACE Project is extremely limited. Thus, support from the U.S. federal government is crucial. The CMP project is a model of equitable development, resiliency, and participatory democracy. Furthermore, the CMP project aligns with President Biden's Plan to Secure Environmental Justice and Equitable Economic Opportunity, which focuses "on improving water quality in a comprehensive way" and "fund historic investments across federal agencies aimed at eliminating legacy pollution – especially in communities of color, rural and urban low-income communities [...]." In addition, in line with the President's policy of bolstering "resilience to the impacts of climate change" set forth in the Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis of January 20, 2021, the CMP Project could "provide benefits toward reducing the effects of climate change. Therefore, we urge OMB to continue its funding of the CMP project in FY 2022 and have USACE move towards the construction phase. The San Juan Harbor Dredging Project The San Juan Harbor is the Island's principal port, handling over 75 percent of Puerto Rico's non-petroleum waterborne commerce and is the only harbor on the north coast affording protection in all types of weather. Over 13 million tons of waterborne commerce move through the harbor annually. The San Juan Harbor is an integral part of Puerto Rico's economic development, and its dredging is a priority to improve the competitiveness of our economy. This is an urgent matter for my Administration as we work to improve and expand cargo and cruise operations and increase the Island's resiliency in economic and natural adversities. The island-wide devastation suffered by Puerto Rico from Hurricanes Irma and María, recent earthquakes, and the current COVID-19 Pandemic present historical challenges to the 3.2 million U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean economy, and the United States Government. "Build Back Better" must include the full recovery of Puerto Rico through a sustained, comprehensive approach with support from the federal government to tackle the numerous issues we are now facing.
On behalf of the people of Puerto Rico, I thank you for your continued support and leadership. I have faith that with your support, Puerto Rico can and will achieve a full recovery. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact me or Carmen M. Feliciano, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, at 202-778-0710 or via email at cfeliciano@prfaa.pr.gov. Sincerely,