October 23: On This Day In 2017
Puerto Rico was already bankrupt when Hurricane Maria devastated the island. Then, they suffered, by some measures, the largest electrical blackout in U.S. history. The restoration of power was essential to recovery. So who won the $300 million contract to do that massive repair job?
OTDI 2017, reports surfaced that Whitefish Energy, a tiny firm 3,400 miles away in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, had snagged that lucrative deal. Huh? Their biggest previous gig had been for $1.3 million. Wanna guess how many full-time employees they had when Maria struck? Two!
Well this seemed weird! It also didn't help that Whitefish wanted reimbursement from the government for their labor which was "far above the norm even for emergency work — and almost 17 times the average salary of [such workers] in Puerto Rico." Congressional scrutiny followed quickly.
Do you smell something fishy? How did they get this contract? Turns out Whitefish’s founder had given $33,000 to a political campaign for Rick Perry...and Rick Perry was now Trump’s Energy Secretary. He’d also given $28,200 to Trump. And Whitefish’s CEO knew Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, since Whitefish is based in Zinke's hometown.
This fiasco seemed emblematic of the corrupt way the Trump Administration operated.
Days later the contract was rescinded, and the people of Puerto Rico gave poor grades to the Trump Administration for its overall repair efforts.
But Ryan Zinke’s fame would continue to grow…for his numerous scandals while in Trump’s cabinet. As Speaker Pelosi noted: “Secretary Zinke has been a shameless handmaiden for the special interests. His staggering ethical abuses have delivered a serious and lasting blow to America’s public lands, environment, clean air and clean water.”
Of course none of that stopped Montana voters from then making Zinke their congressman after he’d left the Trump Administration in disgrace.
Btw, that made Zinke the second recent Montana congressman to ascend to power under a storm of controversy about their personal comportment. Now-governor Greg Gianforte was elected to Congress after physically assaulting a reporter. (Didn't that kind of thing used to be considered bad behavior?)
Meanwhile, in 2024's Montana, Sen. Jon Tester (D) is engaged in a close race with his Trump-facsimile GOP opponent Tim Sheehy. Sheehy would probably be the clear favorite in this heavily Republican state if he hadn't adopted Trump's habit of seeming to mispresent reality with impunity. Sheehy is embroiled in controversies (lies?) ranging from his upbringing, to his purported valor while serving in the military, to his being "caught on tape disparaging Native Americans."
Tester has been a well-regarded moderate Democrat who may eke out victory due to Sheehy's self-immolation.
This is a good moment to point out that control of the U.S. Senate will probably come down to who wins that race.
And, it's also a good moment to point out the odd importance that the beautiful state of Montana carries in our national politics. The average Montana resident has ~ 35x the voting power in the Senate as the average California resident. (Both states get two senators, even though CA has 35x the population.)
Dive Deeper
The Washington Post has the story of Whitefish Energy getting the lucrative contract
CBS News reports a connection between Whitefish and Trump Administration
The Guardian has the report on Whitefish Energy losing its deal:
Politico reports on Zinke’s resignation
About the Tester-Sheehy race
On This Day In The Trump Administration: Trump Zinke Montana Puerto Rico Hurricane Maria Whitefish Energy