Puerto Rico’s government has authorized construction of a $2 billion luxury development in the island’s southwest region that environmentalists have decried, warning it would strain the U.S. territory’s resources and threaten wildlifeSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Puerto Rico’s government has authorized construction of a $2 billion luxury development in the island’s southwest region that environmentalists have decried, warning it would strain the U.S. territory’s resources and threaten wildlife. The project known as Esencia would be built on 2,000 acres in the coastal town of Cabo Rojo. They also said the development would be entirely powered by renewable energy and would have its own water and energy infrastructure. Environmentalists decried the approval, which Puerto Rico’s Adjunct Board of the Permit Management Office issued late Thursday. They noted that the project is expected to generate more than 17,000 jobs and asserted it would set a benchmark for “environmentally conscious luxury development.”