Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Friday he had “absolutely nothing to do” with Puerto Rico’s decision to award a $300 million contract to Whitefish Energy to restore the island’s power and encouraged an investigation to prove his assertion.
“I had absolutely nothing to do with Whitefish Energy receiving a contract in Puerto Rico,” Zinke said. “Any attempts by the dishonest media or political operatives to tie me to awarding or influencing any contract involving Whitefish are completely baseless. Only in elitist Washington, D.C., would being from a small town be considered a crime.”
Zinke has been scrutinized for his potential role in the contract between Whitefish, a small Montana-based firm, and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, because the energy company is based in his hometown. The company had two full-time employees before Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and has contracted with dozens of workers to repair 100 miles of transmission lines.
“Neither myself nor anyone in my office has advocated for this company in any way,” Zinke said Friday. “After the initial contract was awarded, I was contacted by the company, on which I took no action.”
Zinke encouraged the Interior Department’s inspector general to investigate the circumstances surrounding the contract.
“All records, which are being made available to appropriate officials, will prove no involvement,” Zinke said. “I welcome any and all investigations into these allegations, and encourage the Interior Department’s Inspector General to investigate this matter fully.”
The White House on Friday also denied having any involvement in the contract selection. Zinke met with President Trump Friday, who asked the interior secretary about his role with the contract, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. Zinke denied any involvement, she said.
She said the White House will wait for the completion of a federal audit of PREPA’s decision to award the contract to Whitefish.
The Federal Emergency Management Administration said Friday it is looking into the contract, saying PREPA’s decision raised “significant concerns” about how the island’s state-run utility made the decision. FEMA said it was not involved in the decision-making process and no FEMA funds were provided to the island to award the contract.
Both top Republicans and Democrats in Congress are asking PREPA and Whitefish to deliver answers on how and why the contract was awarded, while others sent letters to the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Homeland Security to start investigations into the deal.
