Lawmakers called for an investigation after Whitefish Energy was awarded a $300 million contract to rebuild Puerto Rico’s power grid.
CBS News
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello wants the $300 million contract that Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority signed with Whitefish Energy to be canceled “immediately,” CBS News’ David Begnaud reports.
The controversy over the no-bid contract previously set off a Twitter feud between the mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz, and the company, which is based in Whitefish, Montana, the hometown of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.
The company has only two full-time employees, and many were surprised when it received the big contract to help rebuild Puerto Rico’s electrical grid in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Whitefish has never worked on a project of that size.
The Trump administration denied Friday that political connections had anything to do with restoring electrical connections in Puerto Rico, and Zinke said Friday he had nothing to do with the contract.
Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanski said his company has 300 workers on the ground in Puerto Rico working to fix a crippled electrical system. A month after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, 75 percent of the island is still without power.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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