Borinquen MadeDated notes on Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico news: economy and politics
This desk gathers dated notes on the economy and politics of Puerto Rico, taken from named outlets. It is not the magazine's historical archive. Each note cites its outlet. It is not original reporting.
A dated, sourced desk. Each note names its outlet. It is not original reporting. Figures are those the source published. If sources disagree, both layers are left in place.
Negotiated: LUMA passes FAASt cost to quarterly after baseline of September 30
September 11, 2026. NEPR-MI-2021-0002. List of inactive accepted ≠ approval. Consolidated report: baseline September 30, then quarterly.
Cidra leaves adjustments after five weeks; Carraízo at 39.20 m near safety
11 Sep 2026. AAA via NotiCel: Cidra to observation; La Plata still in adjustments; Patillas overflowing. Level ≠ end of drought.
FEMA lists household aid registrations, not the official paid total
Sep 11, 2026. 26,220,490 national records. IHP supplements; ihpAmount ≠ disbursement. PR filter: damagedStateAbbreviation.
PH: 12 of 19 reservoirs rise; La Plata without relief ahead of dry weekend
11 Sep 2026. Carraízo 39.20 observation; Cidra 400.27 observation; La Plata 44.14 adjustments. Rise≠drought closed.
Senate proposes $5.7B for FEMA ops and $26.4B for the Disaster Relief Fund
Diary Sep 11, 2026; byline of the FY26 Homeland Security conference bill summary of the Senate. Separate DRF from ops; penalties if reimbursements are delayed.
Presidential archive: the Hortense declaration opened aid to four municipalities in 1996
The statement preserved by NARA records federal assistance for Guayama, Loíza, Ponce, and Toa Baja, without publishing amounts.
Bill seeks to end the territorial Medicaid cap starting in FY2026
Diary September 10, 2026; byline of the text entered December 5, 2025 on Congress.gov. The Territories Health Equity Act eliminates limits 1108, adjusts PR FMAP and opens territorial DSH.
HHS awards $100,000 in FY2026 for maternal and child health systems in Puerto Rico
The award H1800043 from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau records $66,580 in administrative supplement and $33,420 in non-competitive continuation for the Puerto Rico State Systems Development Initiative.
HUD: seven Puerto Rico recovery grants are still slow to spend
Sep 10, 2026. Expenditure report: award, balance, and percent drawn. Grant B-18-DP-72-0001 shows $8,220,783,000 awarded and 45.3% drawn. Awarded is not disbursed.
Comptroller: improper payments, an unregistered vendor, and millions off the inventory
Reading September 10, 2026 of OC-27-25 (August 27). Period July 1, 2021–May 31, 2025: 3 findings, 2 comments. $8,049 improper; contract $348,333 + $140,000; 1,199 units/$2.6 million not recorded. Finding ≠ crime.
PH: Carraízo rises to 39.07 m; La Plata falls to 44.24 m (adjustments)
10 Sep 2026. Carraízo observation +0.05; Cidra 400.22 adjustments without rationing. Spot rise ≠ end of drought.
PH: LUMA — 15 towns face possible interruptions for maintenance
10 Sep 2026. Same LUMA package as Vocero; vegetation, poles, lines. Notice ≠ system failure. Cousin →729.
PREPA to the Bureau: ~70 MW TM2500 still not acquired; RFP canceled
September 10, 2026. NEPR-MI-2024-0005. 14/17 units; RFP NFE $65.67 million without contract; canceled January 20, 2026. Award ≠ purchase.
The federal government totals $37.09 billion in Puerto Rico for FY2026 so far
Sep 10, 2026. Treasury API: $37,088,070,136.71 added on Sep 10; HHS and SSA lead. Aggregated ≠ obligated ≠ disbursed.
USDM: D1–D4 drought drops to 69%; D3 remains near 40%
10 Sep 2026 (map valid 8 Sep). D1–D4 69.10% (was 75.21%); D3–D4 39.49%. Without D4. Partial relief ≠ end of AAA rationing.
Vocero: LUMA — work in 15 municipalities with possible interruptions
10 Sep 2026. Vegetation, pole resilience, line repairs. Scheduled work ≠ forced outage or water rationing.
Study: mosquito traps cut Zika infections in half in Puerto Rico communities
Study in Salinas and Guayama: 9.6% seroprevalence with AGO versus 20.0% without traps; aPR 0.49. Volume 32(4), April 2026.
Investigators closed a CAPECO recommendation on automatic prevention
The November 2024 status change acknowledges improvements in API 2350, but also that the standard does not require AOPS in all tanks.
Auditors: FEMA didn't lock down public-works controls at DTOP
Sep 9, 2026. Capacity audit ≠ conviction. Cross-check with OpenFEMA PA; OIG-25-39 cites >$13 billion obligated to the grid.
EPA tentatively approves Puerto Rico's drinking-water program review
On September 9, 2026, the Federal Register publishes the tentative approval of revisions to the Consumer Confidence Report; hearing requests are accepted until October 9. It is not an infrastructure grant.