MIAMI — Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi on Tuesday asked President Joe Biden to partially waive maritime shipping restrictions so more diesel and other fuels can arrive on the island immediately, a week after Hurricane Fiona knocked out the territory’s electrical grid and left residents relying on generators for daily living.
The letter escalates the showdown between Puerto Rican leaders and the Biden administration, as island officials seek the quickest way to deliver aid to residents even if it means granting an exception to a politically popular law supported by the president.
“A shortage of diesel and other fuel products will have an impact on our ability to provide essential services to citizens in Puerto Rico, thus affecting public health, security and continuity of government functions,“ said Pierluisi in a Sept. 27 letter, in which he requests that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security allow fuel deliveries from non-American ships at the island’s ports, including in San Juan, Guayanilla and Yabucoa.
