Statistics Institute and the EPA release a tool to report on the sources of toxic emissions around each community

PRESS RELEASE

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics has a new president of its Board of Directors

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) has a new president of its Board of Directors. The Board elected the economist and former university professor, Nicolás Muñoz, as president after the resignation on April 3 of Arnaldo Cruz, who had been president for the past three years. Muñoz, who served as vice-president of the Institute's Board, has a master's degree in economics from the University of Puerto Rico and is president of Tactical Planners, Inc., a firm dedicated to economic consulting and strategic planning. Muñoz has held other ad honorem positions in the government of Puerto Rico, including a member of the Governor's Council of Economists, president of the Workforce Investment Board (WIA), a member of the Governor's Committee for the review of the minimum wage in Puerto Rico and a member of the Employment Opportunity Promotion Board of the Department of Labor.

Board members do not earn compensation for their services. The Board is composed, in addition to Muñoz, of Dr. Idania Rodríguez Ayuso, vice-president, Mrs. Carola Ballester Descartes, secretary, Mr. Vicente Feliciano Pérez and the Hon. Manuel Laboy. This Board of Directors, as established in Act 209 of August 28, 2003, is the governing body that establishes the administrative policy of the institute, which is led by Dr. Orville M. Disdier.

Dr. Idania Rodríguez Ayuso has a master's degree in Epidemiology from the University of Puerto Rico and a doctorate in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology from Walden University. Rodríguez is also an independent consultant in epidemiology, statistics and research and a professor at Ana G. Méndez University. Mrs. Carola Ballester Descartes has a master's degree in Planning from the University of Puerto Rico, where she is also a professor and associate dean of the School of Architecture, and a master's degree in Landscape Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.

On the other hand, Mr. Vicente Feliciano Pérez has a bachelor's degree in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA, IMD Business School in Switzerland. Feliciano is also founder and president of Advantage Business Consulting. The Hon. Manuel Laboy Rivera, who represents the government official in the Board as established by law, has a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and a master's degree from the University of Turabo. Laboy is the secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce and executive director of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company.

As reported, the new members of the Board will concentrate their work on implementing the institute's Strategic Plan, which includes several goals, including: Develop an administrative structure that allows the proper functioning of internal processes, restructuring the statistical coordination committee so that it operates effectively and increases compliance with the law that governs the institute and establishes its mission, and improving the budget or capital by diversifying the institute's services and projects to obtain external income or funds non-governmental.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with coordinating the government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and accessible quickly and universally.

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Contact: Idia M. Martínez, R‐28 787‐603‐3200

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Statistics Institute steps up oversight of agencies and municipalities failing to appoint representatives to the Statistics Coordination Committee

39.7% of municipalities and 14.8% of executive branch agencies are currently non-compliant

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (Institute) has intensified its oversight of agencies, public entities, and municipalities that have failed to fulfill their duty to appoint a representative to the Statistics Coordination Committee (CCE). As part of this effort, the Institute has published Special Report 2027-01, which identifies 16 executive branch agencies and entities, as well as 31 municipalities, that remained non-compliant as of August 31, 2026, despite requests and follow-ups made since January. These entities must complete their appointments immediately or face further findings, potential administrative fines, and other legal actions.

Under the Institute’s organic law, the Statistics Coordination Committee serves as the government’s advisory, coordinating, and participatory body for Puerto Rico’s Statistical Production Service. This body is responsible for ensuring the flow and continuity of statistical data and information, resolving issues regarding access to such data, and proposing solutions to problems related to the operation of statistical units. Furthermore, the Statistics Coordination Committee Regulations stipulate that, upon request by the Institute’s Executive Directorate, the head of each government entity must fulfill the duty of appointing the CCE member who will represent that entity on the Committee.

Special Report 2027-01 shows that 85.2% of executive branch agencies and public entities are in compliance. Conversely, the compliance rate for municipalities is lower, at 60.3%. Meanwhile, 14.8% of executive branch agencies and public entities are non-compliant, as are 39.7% of municipalities.

“Compliance with CCE appointments is an essential requirement, as it ensures that Puerto Rico has access to complete, reliable, and universally accessible statistics. For this reason, since the beginning of 2026, the Institute has conducted an extraordinary campaign to promote and monitor compliance. Special Report 2027-01 on CCE appointments reflects a considerable increase in designations, as previously less than 50% of agencies had appointments and very few municipalities had designated representatives. Despite this progress, the report also shows that there are still agencies in non-compliance, and, in particular, many municipalities that have yet to meet this requirement,” stated Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Executive Director of the Institute of Statistics.

Details regarding which entities and municipalities are non-compliant (having failed to meet the appointment requirement) can be found in Section 3 of Special Report 2027-01. Additionally, Section 2 lists the executive branch entities and municipalities that are in compliance (having met the appointment requirement).  

Agencies and municipalities that have already fulfilled their CCE appointment requirements do not need to take any further action at this time. However, those that are non-compliant must immediately complete and submit the appointment form (FormularioDesignaciónCCE-31-10-2025) to Dr. Idania Rodríguez Ayuso, the Institute’s Deputy Executive Director (idania.rodriguez@estadisticas.pr), with a copy to Jacobo Orenstein Cardona, the Institute’s Executive Assistant (jacobo.orenstein@estadisticas.pr).

“We urge all executive branch agencies and entities, as well as all municipalities that remain non-compliant, to take immediate action to avoid further findings and potential fines,” added Disdier.

You can access the full report at: Special report on the compliance of agencies and municipalities with appointments to the Statistics Coordination Committee - 2027-01.