Hundreds in Puerto Rico protest proposed increase in electricity bills

By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hundreds of people in Puerto Rico including religious leaders, economists, teachers and retirees are protesting a proposed increase to already high electric bills that a growing number of people are struggling to pay. The crowd marched Wednesday toward the governor’s mansion. They held up signs warning that an increase in power bills would lead to an unsustainable rise in the island’s already expensive costs of living. The proposed increase is part of a debt restructuring plan to pull Puerto Rico’s power company out of bankruptcy. If approved, the current residential rate of 25 cents per kilowatt hour would nearly double over the span of 30 years.