Pierce: A Rather Serious Clog in That There Swamp Drain

[babylonsister]

A Rather Serious Clog in That There Swamp Drain
Does this look normal to you?
By Charles P. Pierce
Oct 24, 2017


It’s quite fitting that the swampiest portion of the Drain The Swamp administration* is the Department of the Interior, presided over by that famous campaign-finance wrangler, Ryan Zinke. After all, the department has responsibility for the public lands, such as they may be once these thieves and vandals get through with them. This includes the public swamplands. The latest, from The Washington Post, is quite remarkable in how swampy its swampiness truly is.

The company, Whitefish Energy, said last week that it had signed a $300 million contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to repair and reconstruct large portions of the island’s electrical infrastructure. The contract is the biggest yet issued in the troubled relief effort…The unusual decision to instead hire a tiny for-profit company is drawing scrutiny from Congress and comes amid concerns about bankrupt Puerto Rico’s spending as it seeks to provide relief to its 3.4 million residents, the great majority of whom remain without power a month after the storm.

But both Montana and Puerto Rico have mountains, so it’s all good, right?

Whitefish officials have said that the company’s expertise in mountainous areas makes it well suited for the work and that it jumped at the chance when other firms were hesitating over concerns about payment. The company acknowledges it had only two full-time employees when Maria struck but says its business model calls for ramping up rapidly by hiring workers on short-term contracts.

Thar’s gold in them there rubbles!

Whitefish Energy is based in Whitefish, Mont., the home town of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Its chief executive, Andy Techmanski, and Zinke acknowledge knowing one another — but only, Zinke’s office said in an email, because Whitefish is a small town where “everybody knows everybody.” One of Zinke’s sons “joined a friend who worked a summer job” at one of Techmanski’s construction sites, the email said. Whitefish said he worked as a “flagger.” Zinke’s office said he had no role in Whitefish securing the contract for work in Puerto Rico. Techmanski also said Zinke was not involved.

I’m certainly convinced. To paraphrase Lamar Parmentel from The Big Easy—Whitefish is a marvelous environment for coincidence.

more...

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a13082993/a-rather-serious-clog-in-that-there-swamp-drain/

[SunSeeker]

1. K & R for exposure.

[FSogol]

2. K & R. n/t

[MyOwnPeace]

3. They've learned their lessons............

from Cheney and Halliburton............

[barbtries]

4. reminds me of certain appointments made by Gov McRory

shortly after taking office here in NC.

i'm talking in-your-face corruption. stinks to high heaven.