FBI Probing Puerto Rico Power Contract (Whitefish Energy)

Wall Street Journal ^ | Oct 31 2017 gmt | Andrew Scurria

[drewh]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating a decision by Puerto Rico’s power authority to award a $300 million contract to a tiny Montana energy firm to rebuild electrical infrastructure damaged in Hurricane Maria, according to people familiar with the matter.

Agents from the FBI’s San Juan field office are looking into circumstances surrounding the deal that the public power monopoly known as Prepa signed with Whitefish Energy Holdings LLC, according to the people familiar with the matter.

[grobdriver]

$300 million contract to a tiny Montana energy firm

PR Mayor's cousin?

[Sacajaweau]

It’s an FBI matter? How does that work?

[Leaning Right]

> PR Mayor’s cousin? <

You’re close. Whitefish Energy is based in the hometown of Interior Secretary Zinke. Maybe that means something. Maybe it doesn’t. But it sure doesn’t look right.

[reasonisfaith]

The FBI should be competent enough to distinguish between a real need to investigate vs a political need to investigate.

[reasonisfaith]

Your logic suggests that the businesses in the hometowns of all politicians appointed and elected should have their ability to do business terminated while the politician is in office.

[ptsal]

....not really a builder of confidence...

A copy of the deal highlighted by reporter Ken Klippenstein reveals that the government isn't allowed to "audit or review the cost and profit elements" under the agreement, allowing the company greater discretion and secrecy for how it spends the $300 million to restore power to the island. Puerto Rico is rebuilding after two major hurricanes wiped out most of the island's electrical grid.

[reasonisfaith]

Otherwise known as, let’s go ahead and become the Soviet Union like Hillary and Podesta wanted all along.

[ptsal]

What are the terms and conditions in other FEMA-type contracts?

Are these terms materially different?

[reasonisfaith]

To what extent has the FBI been influenced by the dirty local politics in Puerto Rico?

Do the FBI investigators have any political connections to the PNP or the DNC?

[Leaning Right]

You make a good point. Businesses shouldn’t be automatically excluded from government contracts just because they have a relationship with political figures.

And I didn’t say that. Maybe Secretary Zinke knows the Whitefish company well, and he knows they do excellent work. But I will say this. It looks bad.

And the fact that this was a no-bid contract makes it look even worse.

So is that unfair to Zinke, and to Whitefish? Perhaps. But in politics, how things look matters. And I am only commenting on how things look here.

[MichaelCorleone]

Guess that’s easier than going after Hillary.

[Obadiah]

I’m all for an investigation, but where were these gumshoes with Obama’s funding of green businesses, most of whom later went bust?

1.Evergreen Solar ($25 million)*
2.SpectraWatt ($500,000)*
3.Solyndra ($535 million)*
4.Beacon Power ($43 million)*
5.Nevada Geothermal ($98.5 million)
6.SunPower ($1.2 billion)
7.First Solar ($1.46 billion)
8.Babcock and Brown ($178 million)
9.EnerDel’s subsidiary Ener1 ($118.5 million)*
10.Amonix ($5.9 million)
11.Fisker Automotive ($529 million)
12.Abound Solar ($400 million)*
13.A123 Systems ($279 million)*
14.Willard and Kelsey Solar Group ($700,981)*
15.Johnson Controls ($299 million)
16.Brightsource ($1.6 billion)
17.ECOtality ($126.2 million)
18.Raser Technologies ($33 million)*
19.Energy Conversion Devices ($13.3 million)*
20.Mountain Plaza, Inc. ($2 million)*
21.Olsen’s Crop Service and Olsen’s Mills Acquisition Company ($10 million)*
22.Range Fuels ($80 million)*
23.Thompson River Power ($6.5 million)*
24.Stirling Energy Systems ($7 million)*
25.Azure Dynamics ($5.4 million)*
26.GreenVolts ($500,000)
27.Vestas ($50 million)
28.LG Chem’s subsidiary Compact Power ($151 million)
29.Nordic Windpower ($16 million)*
30.Navistar ($39 million)
31.Satcon ($3 million)*
32.Konarka Technologies Inc. ($20 million)*
33.Mascoma Corp. ($100 million)

*Denotes companies that have filed for bankruptcy.

[reasonisfaith]

Does it look like the Whitefish company is skilled at working on power lines in mountainous regions?

Does it look like Puerto Rico is a mountainous island that needs its power restored?

[reasonisfaith]

Does it look like most corrupt politicians worldwide are trying to take political shots at the Trump Administration?

[PMAS]

Or maybe hwere is the reason:

“Mr. Ramos had earlier said that Whitefish got the deal over competitors like PowerSecure because it did not ask for a large payment up front. Other companies, wary of Prepa’s bankruptcy, had demanded hefty sums, he said.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/29/us/whitefish-cancel-puerto-rico.html

[reasonisfaith]

Do you think FBI agents would have any reason to object to or be nervous about taking more lie detector tests on a routine basis?

[armourenthusiast]

This is where I would look:

"The chief executive of the power authority, Ricardo Ramos, defended the contract, which he awarded. "