GAO : $14.3 billion obligés au réseau ; seulement $3.6 billion décaissés

On June 2, 2026 the U.S. Government Accountability Office published report GAO-26-107772, Puerto Rico Grid Recovery: Limited Progress Toward Stability and Opportunities Exist to Improve Federal Assistance (public release July 2, 2026). FEMA, HUD and DOE have obligated about $14.3 billion for grid recovery and modernization since 2017, but only about $3.6 billion (~25 percent) has been disbursed; about $10.7 billion remains undisbursed from a total allotment of $17.1 billion. This note tracks the report: allotted ≠ obligated ≠ disbursed; the unspent balance is not theft.

GAO Table 2 (in billions): FEMA allotted $13.2, obligated $11.1 and disbursed $2.7 (75 percent undisbursed); HUD $2.9 / $2.3 / $0.6; DOE $1.0 / $0.9 / $0.3. FEMA disbursement has gone mainly to equipment, materials and architecture and engineering. DOE reallocated or cancelled about $715 million originally for community and low-income household solar, toward grid stability and other uses still to be defined. Only nine of 258 large FEMA projects were complete; as of February 2026 about 400 miles of vegetation had been cleared with federal funds of 16,000 planned miles.

PREPA owed about $9 billion before María. The large-project threshold is $123,100 for María, $131,100 for the earthquakes and $1 million for Fiona. GAO cites obstacles including environmental and historic reviews, staff turnover, financing complexity, PREPA’s financial condition and entity uncertainty. It makes five recommendations (three to FEMA, two to DOE), including updating categorical-exclusion guidance and clarifying roles and a coordination mechanism. DHS and DOE agreed. April 2025 total blackout: nearly two days. The grid serves about 1.5 million customers. Primary: gao.gov products. Cousin: 449. Topic economy.

Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-107772