Whitefish Energy Contract to Be Audited, Puerto Rican Officials Say
David Wagman | October 25, 2017
Officials inspect damage in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
Authorities in Puerto Rico say they will conduct a full audit of a $300 million contract won by Whitefish Energy Holdings for work to restore the island’s electric power grid, damaged by Hurricane Maria in September.
A U.S. House of Representatives committee is also reportedly looking into the contract.
IEEE Engineering360 reported October 6 that Whitefish Holdings had been tapped for the grid restoration work. It later reported on the contract value awarded by PREPA.
The chief executive of Whitefish Energy Holdings in Montana knows U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, and one of its investors donated to President Trump, reports say.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz reportedly said the process of awarding the no-bid contract raised ethical and legal questions. In an interview with Yahoo News, she described the contract as “alarming.”
More than 80 percent of Puerto Ricans remain without power more than a month after Hurricane Maria struck.
Governor Ricardo Rossello's announcement came on October 24 as questions were raised about the deal with Whitefish Energy, a two-year-old company.
The contract was entered into by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority in early October. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will cover the cost, Puerto Rican authorities have said.
A FEMA spokeswoman said that the agency is reviewing the contract to ensure that it complies with established procurement guidelines.
The House Natural Resources Committee reportedly also will look into the agreement.
Whitefish's primary investor, HBC Investments, was founded by Joe Colonnetta. Colonnetta was a "major Trump donor" during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Whitefish's CEO Andy Techmanski was reported as being a friend of United States Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who is also from Whitefish, Montana.[6]
It is unclear if one, or both of Whitefishe's employees traveled to PR to work on this little $300 MILLION dollar sweetheart deal.
Of course there is nothing fishy about this totally above board, transparent deal. That stench I smell must be coming from the Pacific Ocean, 450 miles to the west of me.
The current administration is the most corrupt, unethical administration ever to infest Washington. This is not a political statement, IT IS A FACT!