Government House briefing outlines Washington meetings, energy rebates and hurricane preparations

Government House said at a briefing on St. Croix on June 23, 2025, that Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. had traveled to Washington the previous week for meetings on federal support for education, workforce development and school infrastructure, while territorial officials also gave updates on energy rebate programs and hurricane-season preparations.

Communications Director Richard Motta said Bryan met in Washington with U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. Motta also said Bryan spoke to more than 100 clients and staff at the law firm Winston & Strawn about investment in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Motta said the Virgin Islands Energy Office had issued more than $104,000 in rebate checks through its Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Rebate Program since its April 11 launch. He said the Virgin Islands Battery Energy Storage Program had distributed more than $130,000 in rebates for battery backup systems, and that 33 rebates totaling $166,000 had been awarded through the Electric Mobility Rebate Program since its 2024 launch.

Motta said the Energy Office's Weatherization Assistance Program had approved 153 applications and spent $672,000 of its $900,000 budget on energy-efficiency upgrades for elderly, disabled and low-income households.

He also said the U.S. Department of the Interior had awarded the territory more than $2 million in fiscal 2025 Capital Improvement Project funding for public safety, health and infrastructure services.

VITEMA Director Daryl Jaschen said officials were monitoring Invest 90L, a low-pressure system about 600 miles east of Bermuda, but said it posed no threat to the U.S. Virgin Islands as of June 23, 2025.

Jaschen urged residents to prepare for the peak of hurricane season in August by deciding whether to shelter in place or evacuate, assembling emergency kits including pet supplies, and checking roofs and cistern drains for needed repairs.

He also announced that the St. Croix Amateur Radio Club, in partnership with VITEMA and BIT, would host Amateur Radio Field Day from 2 p.m. on June 28, 2025, to 2 p.m. on June 29, 2025, at the field across from Leatherback Brewing Company in the Williams R. Roebuck Industrial Park.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/government-house-weekly-briefing-highlights-federal-advocacy-energy-progress-and-hurricane-preparedness/