Gov. John deJongh Jr. wielded his bill-signing pen Monday, approving several bills outright, approving one with several line-item vetoes and vetoing several others.
He signed acts moving VITEMA from under the National Guard into a cabinet-level position, mandating the Bureau of Motor Vehicles set up motorcycle driving-education programs, and directing the Economic Development Authority to help local contractors pay performance bonds so more, smaller local contractors can more easily compete for large construction projects.
DeJongh approved the Renewable and Alternative Energy Act of 2009, but vetoed a few line items. The act requires solar hot water in new construction; sets up rebates and tax incentives for installing solar-water heating, wind or solar-power generation; and legislates net metering, allowing residents to sell power to the Water and Power Authority. DeJongh struck a provision mandating specific rebate percentages for a host of renewable-energy items.
"I am completely supportive of ensuring each of these renewable-energy initiatives are advanced," deJongh said in his letter to the Legislature accompanying the bills he acted upon. But the Energy Office has applied for $20.7 million under the State Energy Program provisions of the recent federal economic-stimulus package. He struck parts of the law giving rebates of more than 50 percent because they directly conflict with federal regulation directing how the money may be spent, he said.
DeJongh also struck a line item giving three percent of real-property taxes to the V.I. Energy Office.
"At this time, the (Energy Office), between its local and federal funding, has sufficient revenues with which to operate its programs and in this time of financial constriction, this revenue source is required to meet General Fund expenses," he said.
The governor vetoed two St. John spot-rezoning requests that would have recategorized two R-1 residential, low-density parcels in Estate Susannaberg and Estate Adrian as R-4, residential medium density.
"I note the properly placed reservations that (Planning and Natural Resources) has … when there is a marked lack of the infrastructure required to properly support its high-density allowances in those areas," he said in explanation.
And the governor vetoed a bill to require a worker-education program in the public schools. He said it would put Education in the position of doing the work of the Department of Labor, and the departments of Education and Labor are already working on a similar, but further-reaching national program called Jobs for America’s Graduates.
