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Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, raised questions about the contract given to Whitefish Energy by Puerto Rico's power authority in an interview on Wednesday. (Photo: XiomaraASosa/Twitter)
'Too Little, Too Late': Critics Denounce Trump-Linked Energy Firm's Apology for Puerto Rico Threat
Whitefish Energy threatened to end its work on Puerto Rico's power grid in light of mayor's questions about transparency
Oct 26, 2017
Critics were unimpressed on Thursday by an apology issued by Whitefish Energy, the small Montana-based firm that was given a $300 million no-bid contract to restore Puerto Rico's electricity grid, after it threatened San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz via Twitter.
"Lame" was the word used by Splinter News to describe the company's apology for insinuating that it would leave Puerto Rico in response to Cruz's criticism of the contract.
On Wednesday, Cruz joined congressional Democrats and a growing chorus of critics who have raised questions about the company's contract, which it was offered by the territory's electricity authority, despite employing only two people full-time when Hurricane Maria knocked out the island's power on September 20, and having no experience with a project of Puerto Rico's magnitude.
The firm is financed by a major Trump donor, and its CEO employed the son of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who hails from the town where Whitefish is based.
The mayor, who has criticized the Trump administration's response to Hurricane Maria, called the company's contract "alarming" in an interview with Yahoo News.
"It seems like what the Puerto Rican people are going to be paying for, or the American people are going to be paying for, is an intermediary that doesn't know what is at stake here and that really has to subcontract everything," Cruz said. "What we need is somebody that can get the job done and that has the expertise to get the job done."
"The contract should be voided right away, and a proper process which is clear, transparent, legal, moral and ethical should take place," she added.
Whitefish declared the comments "misplaced," and issued a statement saying Cruz's criticism was "demoralizing to the hundreds of people on our team that have left their homes and families and have come here to help the people of Puerto Rico."
Contrary to the tone of the company's statement, the workers who Whitefish has brought to the island are not volunteers and are in fact being paid hundreds of dollars per hour--well over average rates--for their work.
\u201cThey came here to work, and they get paid for it. Very well paid. Help is voluntarily and free of charge.\u201d— Tita (@Tita) 1508954600
A more threatening statement from Whitefish later on prompted Cruz to respond.
\u201c@CarmenYulinCruz We\u2019ve got 44 linemen rebuilding power lines in your city & 40 more men just arrived. Do you want us to send them back or keep working?\u201d— Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz (@Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz) 1508953630
\u201c@WhitefishEnergy @WhitefishEnergy implies that you will not treat the City of San Juan with the diligence it deserves. Thus admitting political motivations.\u201d— Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz (@Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz) 1508953630
\u201cYou would think I am the only one in the world that has commented on this. What is it about women having an opinion that irritates some?\u201d— Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz (@Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz) 1508953630
Critics responded after Whitefish apologized and said its earlier tweet did not "represent who we are."
\u201cToo little, too late. \u00a1Puerto Rico se respeta! \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf7 https://t.co/HLmjMkGGgG\u201d— Pedro Julio Serrano (@Pedro Julio Serrano) 1508985500
\u201cYou just don't get it. We see you as leaches. Work is "important" for you because it'll make you millionaires while keeping us in the dark. https://t.co/My6Fv6uUet\u201d— Armando Vald\u00e9s (@Armando Vald\u00e9s) 1508986163
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Critics were unimpressed on Thursday by an apology issued by Whitefish Energy, the small Montana-based firm that was given a $300 million no-bid contract to restore Puerto Rico's electricity grid, after it threatened San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz via Twitter.
"Lame" was the word used by Splinter News to describe the company's apology for insinuating that it would leave Puerto Rico in response to Cruz's criticism of the contract.
On Wednesday, Cruz joined congressional Democrats and a growing chorus of critics who have raised questions about the company's contract, which it was offered by the territory's electricity authority, despite employing only two people full-time when Hurricane Maria knocked out the island's power on September 20, and having no experience with a project of Puerto Rico's magnitude.
The firm is financed by a major Trump donor, and its CEO employed the son of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who hails from the town where Whitefish is based.
The mayor, who has criticized the Trump administration's response to Hurricane Maria, called the company's contract "alarming" in an interview with Yahoo News.
"It seems like what the Puerto Rican people are going to be paying for, or the American people are going to be paying for, is an intermediary that doesn't know what is at stake here and that really has to subcontract everything," Cruz said. "What we need is somebody that can get the job done and that has the expertise to get the job done."
"The contract should be voided right away, and a proper process which is clear, transparent, legal, moral and ethical should take place," she added.
Whitefish declared the comments "misplaced," and issued a statement saying Cruz's criticism was "demoralizing to the hundreds of people on our team that have left their homes and families and have come here to help the people of Puerto Rico."
Contrary to the tone of the company's statement, the workers who Whitefish has brought to the island are not volunteers and are in fact being paid hundreds of dollars per hour--well over average rates--for their work.
\u201cThey came here to work, and they get paid for it. Very well paid. Help is voluntarily and free of charge.\u201d— Tita (@Tita) 1508954600
A more threatening statement from Whitefish later on prompted Cruz to respond.
\u201c@CarmenYulinCruz We\u2019ve got 44 linemen rebuilding power lines in your city & 40 more men just arrived. Do you want us to send them back or keep working?\u201d— Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz (@Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz) 1508953630
\u201c@WhitefishEnergy @WhitefishEnergy implies that you will not treat the City of San Juan with the diligence it deserves. Thus admitting political motivations.\u201d— Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz (@Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz) 1508953630
\u201cYou would think I am the only one in the world that has commented on this. What is it about women having an opinion that irritates some?\u201d— Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz (@Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz) 1508953630
Critics responded after Whitefish apologized and said its earlier tweet did not "represent who we are."
\u201cToo little, too late. \u00a1Puerto Rico se respeta! \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf7 https://t.co/HLmjMkGGgG\u201d— Pedro Julio Serrano (@Pedro Julio Serrano) 1508985500
\u201cYou just don't get it. We see you as leaches. Work is "important" for you because it'll make you millionaires while keeping us in the dark. https://t.co/My6Fv6uUet\u201d— Armando Vald\u00e9s (@Armando Vald\u00e9s) 1508986163
Critics were unimpressed on Thursday by an apology issued by Whitefish Energy, the small Montana-based firm that was given a $300 million no-bid contract to restore Puerto Rico's electricity grid, after it threatened San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz via Twitter.
"Lame" was the word used by Splinter News to describe the company's apology for insinuating that it would leave Puerto Rico in response to Cruz's criticism of the contract.
On Wednesday, Cruz joined congressional Democrats and a growing chorus of critics who have raised questions about the company's contract, which it was offered by the territory's electricity authority, despite employing only two people full-time when Hurricane Maria knocked out the island's power on September 20, and having no experience with a project of Puerto Rico's magnitude.
The firm is financed by a major Trump donor, and its CEO employed the son of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who hails from the town where Whitefish is based.
The mayor, who has criticized the Trump administration's response to Hurricane Maria, called the company's contract "alarming" in an interview with Yahoo News.
"It seems like what the Puerto Rican people are going to be paying for, or the American people are going to be paying for, is an intermediary that doesn't know what is at stake here and that really has to subcontract everything," Cruz said. "What we need is somebody that can get the job done and that has the expertise to get the job done."
"The contract should be voided right away, and a proper process which is clear, transparent, legal, moral and ethical should take place," she added.
Whitefish declared the comments "misplaced," and issued a statement saying Cruz's criticism was "demoralizing to the hundreds of people on our team that have left their homes and families and have come here to help the people of Puerto Rico."
Contrary to the tone of the company's statement, the workers who Whitefish has brought to the island are not volunteers and are in fact being paid hundreds of dollars per hour--well over average rates--for their work.
\u201cThey came here to work, and they get paid for it. Very well paid. Help is voluntarily and free of charge.\u201d— Tita (@Tita) 1508954600
A more threatening statement from Whitefish later on prompted Cruz to respond.
\u201c@CarmenYulinCruz We\u2019ve got 44 linemen rebuilding power lines in your city & 40 more men just arrived. Do you want us to send them back or keep working?\u201d— Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz (@Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz) 1508953630
\u201c@WhitefishEnergy @WhitefishEnergy implies that you will not treat the City of San Juan with the diligence it deserves. Thus admitting political motivations.\u201d— Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz (@Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz) 1508953630
\u201cYou would think I am the only one in the world that has commented on this. What is it about women having an opinion that irritates some?\u201d— Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz (@Carmen Yul\u00edn Cruz) 1508953630
Critics responded after Whitefish apologized and said its earlier tweet did not "represent who we are."
\u201cToo little, too late. \u00a1Puerto Rico se respeta! \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf7 https://t.co/HLmjMkGGgG\u201d— Pedro Julio Serrano (@Pedro Julio Serrano) 1508985500
\u201cYou just don't get it. We see you as leaches. Work is "important" for you because it'll make you millionaires while keeping us in the dark. https://t.co/My6Fv6uUet\u201d— Armando Vald\u00e9s (@Armando Vald\u00e9s) 1508986163
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