Bryan Quits Legal Battle; WAPA Blocks LEAC Cut - Overhauls Power Generators

St. Croix Time Staff

USVI - Governor Albert Bryan Jr. has stated publicly that he will not pursue legal action against the 36th Legislature in their efforts to roll back his recent salary increase that was enacted on January 1, 2025. His decision to not challenge the Senate’s plan to override his veto of Bill No. 36-0085 seems based on his feelings to end the controversy that has plagued the Territory for weeks and caused his policy priorities, that he finds extremely important to the future of the Virgin Islands, to fall onto the back burner of public discourse.

Bill No. 36-0086, sponsored by St. Thomas Senator Alma Francis Heyliger has been crafted to rescind the salary increases for Governor Bryan, Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach, and cabinet-level Administration officials. that were granted and implemented by the V.I. Public Compensation Commission (VIPOCC).

The VIPOCC study recommended raises for twelve public officials, most of whose offices had not received raises for decades. These raises must now be reversed.

Although Governor Bryan has contended that retroactively reversing approved compensation raises presents constitutional issues and undermines fundamental employment principals, he has now stated that he intends to drop any legal battle he had been considering and end the dispute between himself and the Legislature. 

Reportedly, the Governor seems to feel that the Legislature’s action is of a personal nature. He raises the question of why other elected officials and appointees are not having their raises reverted back to their last salary code. 

“If they override the bill and set my salary back to the code, doesn’t that mean that now all Commissioners must be paid according to the code which is between $85-97K,” the Governor stated in a recent interview. “And why aren’t the judges reverted back to their last salary in the code as well? If it’s not retaliation then why does the bill specifically speak to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor and no one else? Why is one office being singled out and the other branch, the judiciary, gets to set their own salary?”       

WAPA Blocks LEAC Rate Cut

Despite the Public Services Commission’s (PSC) insistence, for the past several months, on the need to cut WAPA’s Legalized Energy Adjustment Clause (LEAC) rate, and PSC’s finally mandating a rate cut that equals approximately 12% for residential customers, set to begin on July 1, 2025, WAPA has petitioned the courts and was granted a hold on the rate reduction pending the resolution of the ongoing dispute.

“WAPA filed a petition for reconsideration,” PSC attorney Boyd Sphren related to members of the V.I. Senate’s Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance. “The petition suspends the PSC-ordered rate reduction until the dispute is resolved.” 

WAPA contends the rate cut from its current  22.2 cents per kilowatt hour to the proposed 17 cents will damage the Authority’s ability to function on a proper financial basis. WAPA argues the $2.5 million a month revenue loss would endanger its financial stability and public service capacity. 

WAPA officials came out strongly against the PSC decision and said it was “irresponsible and harmful to the public interest.”

Now that the petition to reconsider the PSC order has been officially registered, the dispute could take months to wind its way through the courts.

“A decision on the matter will have to be made before July 17, 2025,” Mr Sphren told the Committee. “However, if the Commission denies reconsideration, I have every expectation that WAPA will appeal that to the Superior Court, and the appeal could also stay the rate decrease.”

All of this legal wrangling certainly will nix the July 1, 2025 implementation date. 

“I can’t tell you when it will actually become effective at the present time,” commented Mr. Sphren. “Ratepayers should not realistically expect to see lower bills on July 1st of this year.”

WAPA to Overhaul Power Generators

WAPA has been actively working to overhaul its power generation infrastructure, including the Richmond Power Plant on St. Croix, to improve reliability and efficiency. This involves acquiring new, more efficient generation units, potentially purchasing the Aggreko units currently leased, and upgrading the electrical grid. 

This move to overhaul, would increase capacity and reduce reliance on older, less reliable equipment.   

By purchasing the Aggreko units this would provide greater control and potentially improve long-term cost effectiveness. WAPA, in turn, is focused on upgrading the overall electrical grid to enhance its resilience and reliability. 

WAPA is also actively pursuing the integration of more renewable energy sources like solar and wind power into its energy portfolio, aiming to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and improve sustainability. 

WAPA recently placed on line the Hogensborg Solar Farm, giving St. Croix the capacity to generate over half of the Big Island’s energy needs. 

“We are dawning a new era here at WAPA,” Karl Knight, WAPA CEO said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Hogensborg Solar Farm, which includes 48,210 solar panels and has the capacity to generate 22.4 megawatts of electricity. “This is not your father’s power company,” Mr. Knight remarked.

St. Croix now ranks, per capita, among the world’s top solar adaptors.