The Virgin Islands Senate Wednesday rejected the proposed deal that had been presented as a way to allow Hovensa to sell its St. Croix facility and exit the territory, voting, as Sen. Terrence Nelson said, "Not just no, but hell no."
The agreement that was negotiated in months of bargaining between the executive branch and the company was rejected by a vote of 11 no to only three yes, with one senator absent.
After a daylong session in which tempers rose along with temperatures as the air conditioning failed and protesters outside chanted and drummed, when the vote finally came at about 8:20 p.m., it was anticlimactic, with the handwriting on the wall hours before the official counting started. Voting no were Nelson, Sens. Alicia Hansen, Nereida O’Reilly, Kenneth Gittens, Clifford Graham, Tregenza Roach, Myron Jackson, Diane Capehart, Shawn-Michael Malone, Janet Millin Young and Clarence Payne
Only Sens. Donald Cole, Judi Buckley and Sammuel Sanes supported the proposal.
Sen. Craig Barshinger was off island.
The agreement had been negotiated between the executive branch and the company, and was to govern a one-year sale process of the refinery to a third-party. Representatives of the company and Gov. John deJongh Jr. have both cautioned that if the Senate rejects the proposal, a bankruptcy or extended lawsuit is the most likely outcome. Several senators Wednesday specifically referred to those statements as a threat they will not bow to.
More information to come.
