Puerto Rico Faces Possible Court Battle Over Agency Control
- Rossello vows to defend authority after Zamot appointment
- Federal board picks Zamot to revitalize electric utility
Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority employees fix power lines in Santurce, San Juan on Oct. 19, 2017.
Photographer: Xavier Garcia/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello is vowing to fight a federal oversight board’s effort to take away his control of the island’s government-owned electrical utility, setting up a potential court battle between the commonwealth and the panel over the bankrupt company.
The governor is planning to appeal the federal board’s decision Wednesday to appoint Noel Zamot as chief transformation officer of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, known as Prepa, which is struggling to restore service after much of the power grid was devastated by Hurricane Maria last month. Nearly 75 percent of residents are still without electricity.