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BEACH ADVISORY

by Daniel E. Ottley
written by Daniel E. Ottley

The Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) announces that the Beach Water Quality Monitoring Program, which evaluates weekly water quality at popular swimming beaches throughout the Territory by sampling for Enterococci, Bacteria and Turbidity, which is a measure of water clarity, advises the public of the following:

DPNR performed water quality analysis at 32 designated beaches throughout the Territory during the week of August 22 – August 26, 2022. The following beaches meet water quality standards and are considered safe for swimming and fishing:

St. Thomas 
Lindbergh Bay Vessup Bay Frenchman’s Bay
Brewers Bay Lindqvist Beach Sapphire Beach
Hull Bay Bluebeard’s Beach
Magens Bay Bolongo Bay
Coki Point Secret Harbor
St. Croix 
Stony Ground Pelican Cove Shoy’s
Dorsch Beach Columbus Landing Chenay Bay
Frederiksted Public Beach Protestant Cay Sprat Hall
Rainbow (Prosperity) New Fort (Ft. Louise Augusta)
Cane Bay Buccaneer Beach
St. John 
Cruz Bay
Oppenheimer
Johnson Bay
Great Cruz Bay
Frank Bay

 

Water Island 
Honeymoon Beach

 Please note: Samples were not collected on the following beaches due to excessive sargassum seaweed: 

  • Water Bay on St. Thomas  
  • Princess (Condo Row) on St. Croix 
  • Cramer’s Park on St. Croix 
  • Grapetree Bay on St. Croix. 

Therefore, the water quality at these beaches is unknown. 

All persons should be aware that storm water runoff may also contain contaminants or pollutants harmful to human health and therefore, should avoid areas of storm water runoff (i.e., guts, puddles, and drainage basins) or any area that appears discolored or has foul odors. DPNR will continue to monitor impacted areas and waters.

For additional information regarding water quality call the Division of Environmental Protection at 773-1082 in St. Croix or 774-3320 in St. Thomas.

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CommunityVI Government

CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT PRESENTS $42.4M CHECK TO DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES HEAD START PROGRAM

by Daniel E. Ottley
written by Daniel E. Ottley

CROIX, USVI – Congresswoman Plaskett, a Member of the House Ways and Means, Budget and Agriculture Committees released the following statement after presenting a check to the Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner and the DHS Head Start program team:

“I am thrilled to celebrate a grant in the amount of $42.4 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the Virgin Islands Department of Human Services Head Start program. This funding is for construction grants and will require zero local match to fund the construction and restoration of facilities territory-wide.”

DHS Commissioner Kim Causey-Gomez shared, “The part that I love the best about being Commissioner is being able to serve all the populations of the Virgin Islands. We start with our little people in Head Start and our office of Child Care and we go all the way through every population. If we don’t do this right for our children, we will not be right for our community. Providing access to Head Start supports children’s growth by providing a positive learning environment through learning and development, health, and family well-being, all which have a positive impact on children’s preschool readiness. The Territory embraces this opportunity to effectively leverage the Federal dollars that will impact the early childhood education environment for the children of the Virgin Islands for generations to come. We are actively recruiting children for Head Start school year 2022-2023. Sign-up today!”

Also present were several other representatives from the Department of Human Services, including DHS Assistant Commissioner Carla Benjamin who stated that the grant funds will ensure that DHS is able to renovate, upgrade and build new facilities so that the territory’s children are able to learn in a rich environment. DHS Head Start Administrator, Masikia Lewis also shared that the landmark amount of funding that the territory’s Head Start program has been awarded will help construct state of the art, mega, multi-purpose head start centers around our territory.

The Director of the Office of Disaster Recovery, Mrs. Adrienne Williams-Octalien also shared, “We here at the Office of Disaster Recovery take deep pride in rebuilding the Virgin Islands. We call it a legacy of resilience.”

The Head Start program was launched in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson as an eight-week demonstration project designed to help break the cycle of poverty. The program promotes the school readiness of infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children in a variety of settings including centers, family childcare, and children’s homes. Furthermore, this vital program engages parents or other key family members in positive relationships, with a focus on family well-being, and creates opportunities for participation in leadership roles, including feedback on program operations.

At the check presentation event, Congresswoman Plaskett also stated, “I would like to extend a special thank you to DHS Commissioner Gomez, Assistant Commissioner Benjamin and Head Start Administrator Masikia Lewis for the excellent work they do to support the children in our territory. We must remain unwavering in our commitment and in our advocacy and support for our next generations.”

Click here to view a recording of the check presentation event.

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CommunityPress ReleasesVI Government

Governor Bryan’s Executive Order Declaring a State of Emergency to Mitigate Sargassum

by Daniel E. Ottley
written by Daniel E. Ottley

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — Governor Albert Bryan Jr. issued an Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency in the Territory to mitigate the impact from the unusually high amounts of Sargassum seaweed piling up on USVI shores and having a negative impact on water-production capabilities on St. Croix.

Governor Bryan also has sent a request to the Biden Administration to declare a federal emergency on St. Croix regarding the Sargassum inundation, and teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are expected to be on the ground in the Territory on Sunday, July 24, to assist the Government of the Virgin Islands (GVI) in coordinating a response.

Because of the Sargassum build-up, maintenance efforts have increased to keep the water intake for the desalinization plant on St. Croix clear from seaweed and biological debris resulting from the ecosystems associated with large Sargassum blooms. In addition, reduced water production could also create a negative effect on the V.I. Water and Power Authority’s power-generating capacity.

While there currently are no negative impacts regarding public health resulting from the Sargassum build-up, Governor Bryan is advising residents of St. Croix to conserve water as the GVI takes steps to resolve the issues caused by the seaweed.

“I want to assure St. Croix that we don’t anticipate any impact on public health from this annual invasion of Sargassum in our waters, including the stench that we all, unfortunately, have learned to live with every summer,” Governor Bryan said. “However, the seaweed overrunning our beaches also brings the potential for disruption to businesses and other negative financial impacts to our economy. I have assembled a team that includes primary public agencies, including Health, DPNR and VITEMA, and the semiautonomous agencies that have been meeting to coordinate efforts with FEMA and other federal partners.”

The Executive Order that Governor Bryan issued designates Department of Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Jean-Pierre Oriol as the incident commander and directs VITEMA to activate the Emergency Operation Centers; directs the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs to institute relevant price freezes on certain goods and services; directs all agencies under the direction of the Governor to fully cooperate with DPNR’s efforts; and suspends certain procurement requirements relevant to mitigating the issue.

While the immediate threat from the Sargassum is specific to St. Croix, pre-emptive efforts also are underway on St. Thomas to prevent adverse impacts to water-production capabilities in that district.

DPNR is monitoring the National Oceanography and Atmospheric Administration’s Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System to track and forecast Sargassum blooms and potential impacts, and the seaweed is forecast to affect Caribbean waters into mid-October.

The Bryan-Roach Administration is investing in the Territory’s people, infrastructure and future through transparency, stabilizing the economy, restoring trust in the government and ensuring that recovery projects are completed as quickly as possible. Visit transparency.vi.gov

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LegalWorld

Gensler has to act soon’: Congress, Wall Street await more SEC action amid crypto meltdown

by Daniel E. Ottley
written by Daniel E. Ottley

With crypto platforms going bankrupt and investors unable to withdraw funds from some crypto outfits, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is calling on the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) to act.

“Congress needs to act, but the SEC has a responsibility to use its authorities to put guardrails in place and crack down on crypto actors that break the rules,” Senator Warren told Yahoo Finance.

“I’ve been ringing the alarm bell on crypto and the need for stronger rules to protect consumers and financial stability,” Warren added. “Too many crypto firms have been able to scam customers and leave ordinary investors holding the bag while insiders make off with their money.”

It’s not just members of Congress — analysts are also baffled as to why SEC Chairman Gary Gensler has not been more aggressive.

“Gensler has to act soon,” says Cowen analyst Jaret Seiburg. “Otherwise, we expect progressives and conservatives will blame him for why average investors have lost money in crypto.”

‘We have rules in place’

Under Gensler’s leadership, the SEC has been reluctant to propose rules to regulate crypto or apply existing securities laws. And this after Gensler has repeatedly said over the past year and a half that nearly all cryptocurrency tokens are securities, and platforms that trade those tokens are exchanges.

A lobbyist speaking on a condition of anonymity says it seem much of the agenda at the SEC is coming from the chair’s office while career folks at agency aren’t playing the role they have historically.

More enforcement action is expected, according to one crypto industry lobbyist, who also says a significant amount of the crypto industry is afraid to proactively engage with the SEC over fears of enforcement actions.

When asked by Yahoo Finance in an interview on Thursday why the SEC hasn’t acted more aggressively to write rules to protect investors, Chair Gensler said he rejected the premise

“We have rules in place for what it means to be an investment company, like a mutual fund, when you put your money in,” said Gensler.

Gensler also pointed to enforcement actions the Commission has taken against crypto firms that violated securities laws, specifically, crypto company BlockFi.

‘Article by :yahoo finance

 

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BusinessCommunity

USVI Tourism Gives Testimony on Continued Success, Plans for Future Growth

by Daniel E. Ottley
written by Daniel E. Ottley

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism appeared in front of the Senate for the annual budget testimony hearing touting strong tourism results for Fiscal Year 2022.

During the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Hearing held on July 13, Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte provided the Senate with the highlights of the industry’s achievements along with a recommended budget for Fiscal Year 2023 that will allow the Department to continue to effectively grow the tourism business while promoting the USVI as the marquee destination in the Caribbean.

He discussed a broad overview of strategies to increase revenues and employment in key tourism sectors, including airlift, cruises and accommodations, while also expanding marine and international markets.

During the pandemic, the tourism industry was “a bright spot in the U.S. Virgin Islands economy,” Boschulte said. “Tourism accounts for 60 percent of our GDP (and) industry indicators suggest that tourism growth will continue in 2022 and 2023, buoyed by a revival of cruise travel.”

In a strong start to 2022, Boschulte reported, first-quarter visitor arrivals surged 153 percent compared to the same period in 2021. This year, 452,764 visitors arrived between January to March 2022. That follows up on a successful 2021 fiscal year during which there were increases of 96.7 percent in air visitor arrivals and 27.7 percent in hotel occupancy from the previous year. Boschulte attributed this to the Department of Tourism’s quick pivot in strategy after the cruise industry shut down in 2020.

At the time, the department amped up its aggressive campaign to increase both airlift and overnight stays. As a result, the USVI became the fastest-growing location for total airlift capacity in the Americas between 2019 and 2021. According to the Transportation Security Administration, airports in St. Croix and St. Thomas received 14 percent more passengers in February 2022 than in February 2019.

Airline success translated to the accommodations sector. Boschulte reported that STR lodging data showed that when compared to all Caribbean destinations for which data is available, the USVI had the highest hotel occupancy rate of 72.5 percent from June 2021 to May 2022. The territory also led the region with the highest average daily rate (ADR) of $637 and revenue per available room (RevPAR) of $461.61 during the same period.

While cruising was largely dormant for the calendar year 2021, the Department of Tourism continued to work with cruise industry executives to develop strategies to welcome the business back during 2022. “The territory is projected to see a sharp increase in calls in FY23 of over 450 calls and almost 1.4 million passengers, up from slightly under 250 (calls) and approximately 480 thousand passengers in FY22,” Boschulte reported.

Other key Fiscal Year 2022 developments included the growth in marine and sports tourism. Sports tourism efforts included international sailing events, college basketball tournaments, tennis tournaments, and participation in the Sports Illustrated 2022 swimsuit edition. The latter was a significant coup for USVI Tourism, increasing brand exposure through 21 billion media impressions across global media outlets.

As for the marine industry, its annual direct and indirect contribution to the USVI economy is forecast to approach $100 million in the coming year. During 2021, The Moorings, one of the world’s premier yacht charter companies, established operations on St. Thomas during the season.

These are among the key strategies the Department of Tourism developed during FY 2022 and will continue into FY 2023:

Airlift

Increase airlift from existing locations and adding new gateways domestically and internationally

Accommodations

Increase overnight stays through FY 2023

Grow room occupancy tax revenue via hotels and sharing economy accommodations

Cruise

Launch initiatives to win back and grow the share of the cruise business, including solidifying partnerships with the cruise lines and with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA).

Adding 70 percent more passengers coming to Crown Bay on St. Thomas and tripling the numbers for St. Croix in 2023

Marine

Strengthen partnerships with marine stakeholders

Expand and integrate marine experiences with land-based experiences

Artical by:The St.Thomas Source

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