DRNA

The allegations made by former Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Sebastián Negrón Reichard have placed under scrutiny a company that has expanded across multiple government agencies in recent years.

Waldemar Quiles says his agency has no funds for the committee, which has not met once in nine months. He admits he does not know how vacancies will be filled or who in the governor’s office is responsible for the process.

Three vacant seats and months without meetings have stalled the panel, despite its legal duty to oversee the implementation of the Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience Plan.

Four environmental lawyers consulted by the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo say Administrative Order 2025-01 violates the regulations and laws governing the La Parguera Natural Reserve.

The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources discovered the fishing of this animal by chance and banned it, but did not carry out the investigations recommended by experts on this important marine species, despite having federal funds available to do so.

For decades, complaints for environmental violations and criminal accusations filed against members of the Abreu Valentín family or their corporations have had no consequences in Puerto Rico's administrative or judicial forums.

Verdict: Misleading

Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism has had to go to court three times in the past five years for the DRNA to hand over public documents.

Even though the EPA recognized the risk posed by the consumption of fish from the bay after a  Center for Investigative Journalism’s investigation, neither the municipality nor federal or local agencies have taken measures to prevent recreational fishing and warn  the public about the risks of consuming species from this body of water.

The case of several properties on the Arecibo coast is an example of what is happening in other areas of Puerto Rico, but neither the Municipality nor the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA, in Spanish) act, while construction is allowed in the area affected by erosion.

The experience of communities in Isabela and Vega Baja shows that the government of Puerto Rico acts against the recommendations of experts and its own public policy, which is supposed to protect coastal natural resources.

The Center for Investigative Journalism filed a lawsuit against Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Secretary Anaís Rodríguez Vega, to make her comply with her duty to provide public information on files related to three environmental complaints.