26 October 17
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Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. (photo: Getty)
Puerto Rico Requests Audit Into Reconstruction Contract Awarded to Tiny Trump-Connected Energy Company
26 October 17
he governor of Puerto Rico is requesting an audit into how a small energy company from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s Montana hometown won a multimillion-dollar contract to restore power to Puerto Rico.
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló sent a letter Wednesday to the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general’s office requesting that the office audit how the Whitefish Energy company earned the contract.
“I request that your office complete its review of the Whitefish Contract so that a final determination can be made as to the Whitefish Contract and address any other issues regarding the same by Monday, October 30, 2017,” Rosselló wrote in the letter.
He solicitado a la Oficina del Inspector General de EU que realice auditoría del proceso de contratación de Whitefish Energy por @AEEONLINE
Rosselló said in the letter that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representatives had also questioned how the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority had granted the contract to Whitefish.
He said the FEMA representatives said they had additional questions about the contract but that they initially believed it complied with FEMA regulations.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz earlier called for the contract with Whitefish Energy be “voided,” calling it “alarming.”
The tiny company reportedly only had two full-time employees when Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico more than a month ago.
Whitefish later threatened to stop its work restoring power to the island over Cruz’s criticism.
“We’ve got 44 linemen rebuilding power lines in your city & 40 more men just arrived. Do you want us to send them back or keep working?” Whitefish Energy tweeted Wednesday.
House Democrats are also calling for an investigation into the contract.
Firm With Trump Cabinet Ties Scores $300M Puerto Rico Power Contract
With guest host Jane Clayson.
Large swaths of Puerto Rico still don't have electricity more than a month after Hurricane Maria. And now, questions are being raised about why a tiny company with ties to the Trump administration just landed a $300 million contract to fix the island's electrical grid.
This show will air Thursday at 10 a.m. EST.
Lights out. That’s how it is for most of Puerto Rico. Still. A month after Hurricane Maria smashed through the island, wiping out its vulnerable electric grid, only 20 percent of residents have power. And now, word that an itty-bitty Montana company—with ties to the White House—landed the massive contract to fix it. A no-bid contract. A contract not authorized by the Army Corps of Engineers. This hour, On Point: Puerto Rico’s power problem.
Guests:
Steven Mufson, reporter at the Washington Post covering energy. (@StevenMufson)
Susan Tierney, senior adviser at the Analysis Group.
Melvin Felix, reporter for Univision. (@melvinjfelix)
From Tom's Reading List:
Washington Post: Small Montana Firm Lands Puerto Rico's Biggest Contract To Get The Power Back On — "For the sprawling effort to restore Puerto Rico’s crippled electrical grid, the territory’s state-owned utility has turned to a two-year-old company from Montana that had just two full-time employees on the day Hurricane Maria made landfall. The company, Whitefish Energy, said last week that it had signed a $300 million contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to repair and reconstruct large portions of the island’s electrical infrastructure. The contract is the biggest yet issued in the troubled relief effort."
Univision: Life After Maria: Puerto Rico A Month After The Hurricane — "A month has passed since powerful hurricane Maria destroyed much of the island, but much of its ravages remain: dark streets, non-functional traffic lights, and a lack of hot food, drinking water and medical services."
Reuters: Puerto Rico, Whitefish Defend Controversial Power Contract — "Puerto Rico and Whitefish Energy Holdings on Tuesday defended their $300 million contract for the small Montana company to repair the U.S. territory’s hurricane-ravaged power grid after the deal was criticized by U.S. lawmakers."
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