Lawmakers question contract to Zinke neighbor

WASHINGTON» Members of Congress from both parties on Tuesday called for an investigation into a $300 million contract awarded to a small company based in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s hometown of Whitefish, Mont.

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority awarded the contract to Whitefish Energy Holdings to help crews restore transmission and distribution lines damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Maria. The 2year-old company had just two full-time employees when the storm hit last month, but says it is contracting with hundreds of workers for the project.

Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, senior Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said Congress “needs to understand why the Whitefish contract was awarded and whether other, more cost-effective options were available.”

A spokesman for Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, RUtah, agreed that congressional review was needed. The resources panel oversees Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.

“The size and unknown details of this contract raise numerous questions. This is one of many things the committee is taking a close look at as it continues to work with the resident commissioner, governor’s office and oversight board to ensure Puerto Rico’s recovery is robust, effective and sustained,” said Parish Braden, a spokesman for Bishop.

The Interior Department denied that Zinke played any role in the contract award. Zinke’s son had a summer job at a Whitefish construction site.

Zinke knows Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanskis “because they both live in a small town where everyone knows everyone,” department said in a statement.