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Article analysis:

The article "The Multiple Layers of Environmental Injustice in Contexts of (Un)natural Disasters: The Case of Puerto Rico Post-Hurricane Maria" provides a critical analysis of the environmental injustice issues that have arisen in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. The author argues that the hurricane's impacts and the recovery process have not been the same for everyone, and that this is due to pre-existing patterns of unequal distribution of harm, histories of unjust and undemocratic environmental policy and planning, and colonial–neoliberal governance regimes.

The article provides a detailed account of the multiple layers of inequality and environmental injustice in Puerto Rico before and after Hurricane Maria. It highlights how EJ issues have many layers—multiple scales (from local to global), multiple dimensions/issues, and multiple roots (causes). The concept of environmental injustice refers to the inequalities in distribution of environmental harms or goods, lack of real participation in decision making, limited capabilities for autonomy, disavowing marginalized communities' political agency and livelihoods. These injustices are linked to historically enduring class, racial, and colonial structures.

The article also discusses how energy production and distribution in Puerto Rico have been in crisis for at least a decade. The public utility has >7 billion U.S.D in debt due to decades of mismanagement. Ninety-eight percent of energy production comes from fossil fuels produced in large and outdated facilities that then transmit it across the whole island through above-ground lines. The geographic pattern of the return to electricity has shown a tendency to focus on the metropolitan area, which is where most population in the country lives but is also the wealthiest region.

However, there are some potential biases present in this article. Firstly, it relies heavily on journalistic accounts rather than academic research studies or official reports. Secondly, while it acknowledges that there are different vulnerabilities to natural disasters within Puerto Rico based on pre-existing relations of injustice within Puerto Rico itself as well as between Puerto Rico and the United States, it does not explore counterarguments or alternative perspectives on these issues.

Additionally, while it notes that citizens have turned to widespread use backup electric generators leading some to call Puerto Rico “Generator Island,” it does not provide any evidence or data supporting this claim. Furthermore, while it highlights concerns about energy production relating to longstanding environmental injustice conflicts in southern Puerto Rico related to coal ash produced by Applied Energy Systems (AES) coal power plant; however, it does not provide any evidence or data supporting these claims either.

Overall, despite some potential biases present in this article such as relying heavily on journalistic accounts rather than academic research studies or official reports; failing to explore counterarguments or alternative perspectives on these issues; making unsupported claims about widespread use backup electric generators leading some calling Puerto Rico “Generator Island” without providing any evidence or data supporting this claim; failing to provide any evidence or data supporting concerns about energy production relating to longstanding environmental injustice conflicts related AES coal power plant; this article provides valuable insights into how Hurricane Maria has exposed pre-existing patterns of unequal distribution of harm based on class, race, colonialism/neoliberalism governance regimes within Puerto Rican society as well as between Puerto Rican society and US society more broadly speaking.