SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s governor is calling for the immediate cancellation of a controversial contract with Whitefish Energy, the small Montana company under intense scrutiny for a deal worth hundreds of millions to help restore power to the hurricane-ravaged U.S. territory.
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló asked the board of Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to cancel the contract with Whitefish Energy during a news conference on Sunday morning.
“In light of the information that has come about with regards to the contracting of Whitefish Energy and in the interests of protecting our public interests I have asked the board of the power authority to invoke the cancellation clause in the contract immediately,” Rosselló said.
“There can be no distraction that alters the commitment to lift up the electrical system as quickly as possible,” he added in a post on social media.
The governor had previously called for the Office of the Comptroller to investigate and audit the contracting process of the company by PREPA.
There was no immediate response from PREPA officials, but they are expected to have a news conference at 3:30 p.m.
The CEO of Whitefish Energy, Andy Techmanski, told NBC News from San Juan on Saturday that he first made contact with officials on Puerto Rico through the business networking site LinkedIn shortly after Hurricane Irma hit in September — and not through any previous connections. He said he kept in contact with them through Hurricane Maria’s devastation.
Related: Whitefish CEO Defends Puerto Rico Deal, Says Critics on ‘Witch Hunt’
“I think that there are people out there on a witch hunt looking for something that does not exist,” he said.
Irma knocked out power to one million customers in Puerto Rico, but the devastating Hurricane Maria knocked out power to the entire island. As of Sunday, Puerto Rican officials said there was only about 30 percent of power generation on the island.
Controversy over the up to $300 million contract has grown following a report in The Washington Post detailing the mounting questions surrounding the deal.
Members of Congress from both parties and Puerto Rican officials have called for investigations into the deal.
It was widely reported that Whitefish only had two full-time employees when Maria made landfall, a number not disputed by Whitefish’s own newly-hired media team at the time.
Related: Democrats Call for Investigation Into Whitefish Energy Contract in Puerto Rico
But Techmanski told NBC News that figure is incorrect, and that the company had 20-40 full-time employees working projects in Arizona, Montana and Washington State. He said Whitefish has more than 350 workers in Puerto Rico and plans to have more than 500 there soon.
“We’re here doing actual work,” Techmanski said. “We’re under a contract and we came in good faith, and I think we’re making an impact.”
Techmanski also strongly denied that U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who is also from Whitefish, Montana, or anyone else in President Donald Trump’s administration had anything to do with his securing the contract.
Related: Puerto Rico’s Frantic Search for Someone to Turn on the Lights
Zinke said in a statement Friday that “I had absolutely nothing to do with Whitefish Energy receiving a contract in Puerto Rico” and any suggestions of involvement or influence “are completely baseless.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a statement Friday that it had “significant concerns” and had not approved the deal, despite a portion of the contract that suggested otherwise.
“That’s simply not something we would do,” Mike Byrne, FEMA’s coordinator in Puerto Rico, told NBC News on Saturday.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, a vocal critic of the deal and the Trump administration in general, said Rossello must now “fire the person that signed the contract” on MSNBC Sunday following news of the mayor’s announcement.
“The person responsible for signing the contract must be fired immediately and of course that is the head of PREPA, Ricardo Ramos,” she said.
Gabe Gutierrez reported from San Juan, Daniella Silva reported from New York City.