08/10/2026
Point 4: www.donastorgnelson.com
The ongoing crisis within the Water and Power Authority (WAPA) is the single greatest threat to our economic survival. Driven by skyrocketing utility and housing costs, solving the WAPA crisis isn't just a priority—it is an absolute emergency.
The Donastorg-Nelson administration is ready to move beyond managing gaps and losing money. We have a concrete, aggressive plan to achieve real stability:
💡 Affordable & Reliable Energy: We will secure our future and stop taking on high-interest commercial debt by leveraging FEMA’s Prudent Replacement Program to fully fund the replacement of outdated, failing infrastructure with modern, climate-resilient systems.
☀️ Slashing Fuel Costs: By fast-tracking the transition to large-scale solar farms, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and localized island micro-grids like the St. John Micro-grid Project, we will drastically cut expensive oil consumption. We will reinvest those massive savings directly into our utility reserves.
🔍 Forensic Financial Audit: We will mandate a transparent, comprehensive audit of WAPA to eliminate waste, fraudulent billing, and administrative bloat—ensuring every dollar goes toward grid stability, customer service, and workforce retention.
👷 Value and Secure Our Human Resources. A power plant is only as reliable as the linemen, engineers, operators, and staff who maintain it—no more stagnant compensation during crises. We will establish a statutory firewall within WAPA's budget dedicated to workforce stabilization—guaranteeing a 2% salary increase every two years across all existing union agreements, fully funded by green energy savings, not rate increases! Keeping our local experts home prevents the massive expense of off-island emergency contractors.
Let’s treat our workers with dignity, stabilize our grid, and secure our financial freedom. Together, we will build a stronger USVI.