WAPA Pleads Continued Emergency, Gives CEO $50K Bonus

The Virgin Islands Legislature approved a 90-day extension of a state of emergency at the Water and Power Authority Monday with the hope the embattled utility could solve some of its myriad underlying deficiencies. Senators, however, interjected a monitoring measure that required the governor’s Incident Command team to appear before the Senate every 30 days for an update.

The bill extends Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s state of emergency, which allowed money to flow to WAPA without Senate approval, to end Sept. 19 — not the normal 30-day increments.

The additional time was vital to finalize contracts for fuel, fuel shipping, equipment repair, and more, said Kevin Williams, chief policy advisor and head of Incident Command at the Governor’s Office. The state of emergency also allowed the Incident Command, which meets in cases of disaster or other emergency, to apply its manpower, freeing up WAPA staff to meet other needs.