Puerto Rico signed a $300 million contract with a 2-person firm from a Trump official's tiny hometown


On Sept. 26, six days after Hurricane Maria brutalized Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) signed a contract worth up to $300 million with Whitefish Energy to work on the island's ravaged electrical infrastructure, the company said last week. When Maria hit, two-year-old Whitefish had just two employees, The Washington Post reports. It has since hired 280 linemen and other workers, mostly subcontractors, for its Puerto Rico job.
Before the huge Puerto Rico deal, Whitefish had never handled a federal contract bigger than $1.3 million, to repair and upgrade parts of a 4.8-mile transmission line in Arizona within 11 months. Puerto Rico has 2,400 miles of transmission lines, 30,000 miles of distribution lines, and 300 substations, and Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has promised that 95 percent of the territory's power will be restored by Christmas, from 23 percent currently — a goal Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanski says may not be possible. The decision by bankrupt Puerto Rico to hire a small for-profit company rather than drawing on existing "mutual aid" agreements with power utilities in other states, as would be more common after a natural disaster, has drawn scrutiny in Congress, The Washington Post notes.
Whitefish Energy is based in Whitefish, Montana — population 6,357 — the hometown of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Zinke and Techmanski say they know each other — but only because "everybody knows everybody" in Whitefish, Zinke's office told the Post — and both men say Zinke was not involved in securing the Puerto Rico contract. Once the contract was secured, Techmanski told NBC Montana in late September, he contacted Zinke to ask for help getting workers and supplies to Puerto Rico. You can read more about the contract, why it's unusual, and Whitefish's claim to expertise at The Washington Post.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Labubu: the 'creepy' dolls sparking brawls in the shops
In the Spotlight Craze for the pint-sized soft toys has reached fever pitch among devotees
-
The top period dramas to stream now
The Week Recommends Heaving bosoms and billowing shirts are standard fare in these historical TV classics
-
Women need more pain management during gynecological procedures
Under the radar Pain should no longer be ignored
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect