Helen Colon testifies on El Puente and Esencia
Helen Colon, from El Puente, testifies about the organization's analysis of Project Esencia's environmental impacts. She supports all four resolutions and highlights the project's threat to vulnerable species and habitats.
Good afternoon, buenas tardes a todos.
My name is Helen Colon, and I am a proud Boricua, born in Puerto Rico, raised in New York, Brooklyn, and I work for an amazing organization called El Puente, which is a human rights institution with a mission to inspire and nurture leadership for peace and justice.
It was founded in 1982 by immigrants of the Puerto Rican and Caribbean diaspora with the dream of reaching their countries in the future.
This dream became true with the establishment of El Puente Puerto Rico in 2013 and environmental and climate justice as a central axis.
This is precisely what enabled us to examine in detail the documents presented by the proponents of the Esencia project with our teams of lawyers and environmental scientists and prepare these comments.
Resolution number 494, number 27, number 28, and number 372 are all measures that seek justice for Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico's colonial sorrows.
Resolution 494 aimed at stopping Project Essencia correctly identifies many of the numerous issues raised by surrounding communities, scientific and environmental groups.
El Puente Puerto Rico analyzed these documents submitted by the proponents of the Essencia project to the
Office of Management Permits, which revealed significant methodological, legal, and conceptual inconsistencies, raising serious doubts about the transparency and scientific rigor of the proposal.
Essencia would be detrimental for...
For Puerto Rico.
Essencia documents before OGP's evidence a series of negative impacts on species listed as vulnerable or threatened and on their critical
habitat with the project bordering the body, the body, the book.
Boquerin Wildlife Refuge, the Boquerin Forest, and the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve.
It threatens ecosystems and species of high ecological value.
Numerous vulnerable or endangered species have been identified in the areas to be impacted, as well as protected plants in the...
Peñones de Melones and threatened marine species and corals.
There's a lot of more information regarding how a proyecto esencia will affect Puerto Rico.
I will submit my testimony, but I will say that El Puente and myself, we are in favor of the four resolutions presented today.
Thank you.