[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 183 (Tuesday, November 29, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H8599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REIMAGINING THE SOUTH SHORE OF ST. CROIX

  (Ms. PLASKETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, for decades, my island, my home, St. 
Croix, was the home of the largest refinery in the Western Hemisphere, 
an identity that largely shaped our economic makeup to the detriment, 
in some instances, of historic industries such as agriculture or at the 
detriment of our environment but provided thousands of jobs throughout 
the years to our residents. The recent failure of the refinery to 
restart successfully has been a disappointment to many, but in there 
lies a unique opportunity before us.
  With the rapid changes taking place in our climate and the urgency 
that the Biden administration has placed on environmental reform and 
the much-needed transition to green energy and renewables, we have an 
opportunity to reimagine how the south shore of St. Croix can be 
redeveloped.
  The green energy initiatives and the focus on historically 
disadvantaged communities contained in the Inflation Reduction Act, 
along with the incentives and funding included in the bipartisan 
infrastructure law, are not only timely but critical for us as a 
territory.
  I ask my colleagues, I ask Virgin Islanders, I ask our Governor and 
our elected officials to all join in reimagining and getting to work on 
redefining what we look like.

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