Madagascar Development

Congress can’t get  Puerto Rico  off its hands. Last year, lawmakers crafted Promesa, a bipartisan law that established a fiscal-control board and bankruptcy-like process to deal with the U.S. commonwealth’s unpayable $74 billion debt. Then came Hurricane Maria, which brought a fresh cascade of dilemmas that will shape the island for generations. Now, lawmakers must decide on disaster aid that -- if the island had its way -- would total $94 billion. Legal opposition from Governor Ricardo Rossello reined in the oversight board, and only Congress can expand its powers. And, as Republicans rewrite tax laws, they must decide how to treat the jurisdiction and its faltering economy, which occupies a vague space between foreign and domestic. “The long-term issues, the fiscal situation, the decision about taxes, it’s everything -- it’s all on the same plate that’s in front of Congress,” said Jenniffer Gonzalez, Puerto Rico’s nonvoting representative in the House of Rep...

Whitefish Energy Holdings LLC said it resumed repairing Puerto Rico’s storm-ravaged electric grid after receiving a payment from the territory’s bankrupt utility. The company, which saw its no-bid $300 million contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority canceled last month amid criticism, said Monday it was suspending work because it was owed $83 million. Under the terms of the canceled deal, Whitefish was supposed to continue work until Nov. 30. The tiny Montana-based company is under investigation after securing a sole-source contract with the PREPA to restore power on the island, which lost 80 percent of its electric grid after a pair of hurricanes in September. “PREPA released a payment to Whitefish Energy that was enough to show PREPA’s good faith intent to pay Whitefish Energy and its subcontractors for services rendered," the company said in a statement on Thursday. Chris Chiames, a Whitefish spokesman, declined to answer a question about ...

Three-quarters of residents in Puerto Rico still don't have power , but San Juan was just named  one of the best cities to visit in 2018  by Lonely Planet, the popular guide book publisher. Tourism industry officials hope they'll come even sooner: They want tourists back before Christmas. José Izquierdo, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, said the primary focus is on rebuilding right now, but he hopes the island will be open for tourists by December 20. The high season for Caribbean tourism usually lasts from December until May. Izquierdo pointed out that  airports and cruise ports are operational,  and more than 100 hotels are open and operating. He said some hotels are already accepting new reservations and others are almost fully occupied thanks to the influx of thousands of federal first responders and volunteers from humanitarian aid organizations that have come to help rebuild the island. "NGOs are flocking to...