Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (USVI), Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on the Interior, Energy, and Environment released the following statement regarding a $6.7 million U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration grant for the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands associated with Hurricanes Maria and Irma:

“Today the U.S. Department 0f million U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration announced a $6.7 million grant to the U.S. Virgin Islands to aid with hurricane recovery efforts in the Virgin Islands. This crucial grant is based on estimated eligible expenses incurred by U.S. Virgin Islands for related emergency response activities, the estimated cost to repair and replace equipment and facilities that may suffer or have suffered serious damage, along with dedicated funding for resiliency projects designed and built to reduce the risk of future natural disasters.

“The Virgin Islands will be able to use this grant for several major categories, such as emergency operations, damages to transit vehicles and infrastructure, and the cost of resiliency projects to better protect against future disasters. Costs that have been incurred during emergency operations are eligible for reimbursement. This important grant will benefit the Virgin Islands tremendously with our ongoing rebuilding efforts making the Virgin Islands whole again after experiencing two devastating hurricanes. The United States government and the international community has an obligation to work with the affected local governments to restore infrastructure, provide critical humanitarian assistance, and help recover and build back our islands.”