Grijalva Calls For Investigation Into Whitefish Electric Contract For Puerto Rico

Published: Friday, October 27, 2017 - 5:29pm

A day after Puerto Rico’s governor said he wanted an audit of a $300 million contract his government gave to a company to restore power to the island, there are more revelations about what was actually in the contract.

According to reports, language in the contract would have prohibited an “audit or review of the cost and profit elements.”

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority awarded the contract to Whitefish Energy, which is based in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s hometown, to help restore its power grid.

Arizona Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva had been calling for an investigation, and has since called the deal, a sweetheart contract.

"In the federal government a contract that says I’m going to give you all this money you don’t have to tell me how you spend it, you don’t have a to tell me how much profit you make and by the way I can’t audit, un-heard of unprecedented," Grijalva said.

About 75 percent of Puerto Rico remains without power. The White House says it had no involvement in the deal, adding the decision to award the contract to Whitefish was made by Puerto Rico.