Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. When the public learned that a tiny,inexperienced Montana-based energy firm — based in the hometown of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke — was awarded a contract to rebuild Puerto Rico's devastated power grid, national outrage caused the island's power authority to sever ties with the company, and Whitefish Energy.
But a similar deal has been struck between PREPA,the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, and a small subsidiary of an Oklahoma-based energy firm. Cobra Acquisitions LLC, and which didn't exist until this year,was recently given a $200 million contract to rebuild Puerto Rico's infrastructure.
Puerto Rico's power supply relies heavily on fossil fuels. And despite the island's acknowledgement that it needs to expand the exhaust of renewable resources, the government has had peril assembly its modest goals. With a majority of Puerto Ricans still without power, and PREPA's move to rely on contracts with fossil fuel companies is raising questions about the privatization of Puerto Rico's utilities.
Kate Aronoff is a contributor to The Intercept and a writing fellow at In These Times covering climate and American politics. She joins The Takeaway to discuss the controversy at hand.
This segment is hosted by Todd Zwillich.
Source: thetakeaway.org