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 several grants announced today from the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) Technical Assistance Program (TAP):

“Today the Office of Insular Affairs awarded the Government of the Virgin Islands several grants from the Technical Assistance Program (TAP). Technical Assistance Program (TAP) grants are awarded on an annual basis through an application process. These grants are intended for short-term, non-capital projects and are not meant to supplant local funding of routine operating expenses of an insular government. TAP priorities include but are not limited to projects which foster development of the insular areas in the following categories: accountability; financial management; economic development; training/education; energy; life; safety and health issues.

“The grants awarded today to the Virgin Islands include the following:

- $60,322 for the Gustav A. Quetel Fish House Project.
- $200,000 for Technical Training in the U.S. Virgin Islands Public Library System project priorities (l) Archives Management Training and (2) Cataloging and Database Subscription Training.
- $250,000 to the Virgin Islands Power and Water Authority (VI WAPA) for the St. Croix Water System Master Plan.
- $117,490 to VI WAPA for the Water Department Technical Training Project.
- $200,000 to the St. Thomas East End Medical Center Corporation for the Information Technology Infrastructure Capacity Improvement Project.

“These grants 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 help in the building back of our islands. The grant award is a vital component of that concern.”