Invade Puerto Rico! NOW!!!

[carnivorousplant]

@ThelmaLou

In a nutshell, Puerto Rico is old news. God help us and them.

Yes.

[Snowboarder_Bo]

There’s a plan; it’s very cool!

Puerto Rico’s largely devastated power grid is still far from a recovery, despite recent efforts by Tesla to supply the island with much-needed energy through a microgrid of solar panels and energy storage batteries. To this end, Puerto Rico’s Department of Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Manuel Laboy has proposed transforming the Caribbean island’s crippled energy infrastructure with the help of Elon Musk’s company.

According to Bloomberg, Laboy had supposedly been in talks with Tesla even before disaster struck Puerto Rico with Hurricane Maria. The plan would be to improve the island’s decades-old energy system — which has long been riddled with inefficiency leading to vulnerability — by setting up an ecosystem of micro-grids and regional grids powered by solar energy and Tesla’s Powerpack storage batteries. Musk had previously made similar comments, suggesting that Puerto Rico’s current state of post-disaster recovery could present an opportunity to fix its power grid.

Typically big and bold plan by Musk, but by Og he’s been able to pull off a lot of big shit; I say go for it, Puerto Rico (but retain at least 51% ownership; don’t be stupid).

[RTFirefly]

Montana firm that had just 2 employees when Maria hit Puerto Rico lands $300M contract to rebuild PR’s power grid.

And astounding coinkydink: it’s located in the same town that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke lives in.

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.”

Not quite peak swamp, but working on it.

[Snowboarder_Bo]

@RTFirefly

Montana firm that had just 2 employees when Maria hit Puerto Rico lands $300M contract to rebuild PR’s power grid.

And astounding coinkydink: it’s located in the same town that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke lives in.

Not quite peak swamp, but working on it.

Oh, there’s more:

A native of Montana, Zinke’s son spent a summer working at Whitefish Energy, and the company’s chief executive, Andy Techmanski, acknowledges he and Zinke know one another.

OTOH, I wonder if I should hit them up for a gig:

Another issue that has garnered attention is the requested pay scale for workers. At a rate of $330/hour for a site supervisor, along with $332/night for accommodations and $80/day for food, it’s a personnel cost that is not quite the norm for similar projects.

More info in this story:

Typically, immediately after a disaster, the American Public Power Association – a public utilities trade group – emcees a conference call with its membership – 1,100 public utilities across the country – to get all the needed line workers and bucket trucks to the stricken area as soon as possible under what are called mutual aid agreements. For instance, the public power association facilitated the rapid deployment of many thousands of workers and their equipment to Texas and Florida after hurricanes Harvey and Irma struck.

But the Puerto Rico Electrical Power Authority (PREPA) took a different route after Maria’s 155 mph winds decimated the island’s already-failing electrical grid on Sept. 20, leaving 3.4 million residents, hospitals and businesses without electricity – possibly for months.

When the power association convened its conference shortly after Maria struck, PREPA told participants it wouldn’t need the network’s help because it had already contracted with Whitefish Energy Holdings LLC, a two-year-old consultancy, to spearhead the restoration efforts.

[wguy123]

@RTFirefly

Montana firm that had just 2 employees when Maria hit Puerto Rico lands $300M contract to rebuild PR’s power grid.

And astounding coinkydink: it’s located in the same town that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke lives in.

Not quite peak swamp, but working on it.

WTF?!?!

You know who also lives in Whitefish? Shithead Richard Spencer.

A Montana rabbi met hate in Whitefish and found community support

[Snowboarder_Bo]

missed the edit window:

But PREPA spokesman Carlos Monroig Aceveda told weather.com that it had paid Whitefish “$2 million for the costs of mobilizing personnel and equipment,” adding that its contracts “are evaluated and awarded by the U.S. Corps of Engineers in coordination with FEMA, which disburses the money.”

His statement that the Corps was supervising didn’t square with what Catalina Carrasco of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told weather.com. She said the Corps “does not have any involvement with the contract between PREPA and Whitefish, adding in an email that the Corps “does not know how PREPA negotiated the contract. USACE does not know how PREPA is paying Whitefish. The contract is between PREPA and Whitefish. Corps of Engineers, did not negotiate, does not have ANY involvement between PREPA and Whitefish.” The emphasis was in the email.

William Douglass, a spokesperson for FEMA, said the agency’s databases do not show any dealings with Whitefish, although he added that FEMA gives money to agencies like PREPA and those agencies sometimes give some money to a third party like Whitefish without FEMA necessarily knowing.

Both FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers have distanced themselves from PREPA’s contract with Whitefish. But FEMA has given PREPA $97 million to restore the power lines and PREPA could have used some of that money to pay Whitefish. FEMA announced Monday it was approving an additional $128 million for PREPA.

Whitefish’s Techmanski was working in Puerto Rico and couldn’t be reached for comment, according to spokesman Brandon Smulyan, who was himself unable to answer basic questions about the company because he has only been working with Whitefish under a contract for the past week. For instance, he couldn’t say how many employees Whitefish has. Public records list Andrew Techmanski as the president and Amanda Techmanski, whom public records identify as a registered nurse, as the manager. Andrew Techmanski has an extensive background in power-line work, according to his LinkedIn profile and other public records.

Smulyan said the young company is funded by two private equity firms – HBC Investments and Flat Creek Capital – both based in Dallas, Texas – and Brazil-based Comtrafo Transformers, which builds power transformers.

Follow the money…

[Snowboarder_Bo]

Flat Creek Capital Management

Flat Creek Capital Management, LP is a registered investment advisory firm located in Dallas, Texas. This firm does not report having any employees or assets under management.

Hmmmmmmm.On April 27th, 2016 they raised $14,001,000.

The founder is listed as Lance Etcheverry and his name and brief bio are the only things that come up when you click on Flat Creek Capital’s ‘Leadership’ button.

HBC Investments seems to be a mostly family-owned equity firm, centered around Joe Colonnetta and the Hoak family.

[harmonicamoon]

I hope they are able to put a majority of the cable distribution under ground.

Granted it is more costly. But the maintenance factor goes way down. Especially in hurricane prone areas.

[carnivorousplant]

@harmonicamoon

I hope they are able to put a majority of the cable distribution under ground.

Granted it is more costly. But the maintenance factor goes way down. Especially in hurricane prone areas.

How can you make any money next time if there are no poles to be knocked over?

[Snowboarder_Bo]

@harmonicamoon

I hope they are able to put a majority of the cable distribution under ground.

Granted it is more costly. But the maintenance factor goes way down. Especially in hurricane prone areas.

@carnivorousplant

How can you make any money next time if there are no poles to be knocked over?

I dunno how many there were previously but

Separately, the Army Corps of Engineers has put in a purchase order for 50,000 utility poles and 6,500 miles of cable.

[Buck_Godot]

@Snowboarder_Bo

There’s a plan; it’s very cool!Typically big and bold plan by Musk, but by Og he’s been able to pull off a lot of big shit; I say go for it, Puerto Rico (but retain at least 51% ownership; don’t be stupid).

Of course you realize that if he is able to pull it off, Trump will roll in and say that it was all his doing.

[Folacin]

@Buck_Godot

Of course you realize that if he is able to pull it off, Trump will roll in and say that it was all his doing.

Frankly, don’t care if PR ends up with cheaper, more reliable power.

In any case, President’s get blame and fame for lots of things that are outside their control.

[carnivorousplant]

@Folacin

In any case, President’s get blame and fame for lots of things that are outside their control.

Like not rescuing hostages held by Iran, and killing bin Laden.

[Thudlow_Boink]

@XT

Puerto Rican’s who are American citizens (I wish someone would inform Trump of this, though he’s probably immune to facts).

That’s irrelevant. What matters is whether they’re Trump supporters.

[elucidator]

My “Invade PR” title is meant as an exhortation, that we apply the same level of resource and commitment as would an invasion. I did not mean to cheerlead for corporate predators to sweep down and steal what few bits of hope remain to them.

I apologize for any misunderstanding.

[Folacin]

@carnivorousplant

Like not rescuing hostages held by Iran, and killing bin Laden.

I’m not sure what you are saying here? Carter and Obama personally authorized those missions, so the success/failure is on them. On the other hand, the Marine barracks in Beirut and the consulate attack at Benghazi were nothing Reagan or Obama had much control over.

Trump deserves no blame for PR losing electrical power. He deserves all of the blame for the crappy initial response and the ongoing clusterfuck that appears to be the ongoing response.

[carnivorousplant]

@Folacin

I’m not sure what you are saying here? Carter and Obama personally authorized those missions, so the success/failure is on them. On the other hand, the Marine barracks in Beirut and the consulate attack at Benghazi were nothing Reagan or Obama had much control over.

Trump deserves no blame for PR losing electrical power. He deserves all of the blame for the crappy initial response and the ongoing clusterfuck that appears to be the ongoing response.

I don’t think it is “on them”. It’s not like Carter forgot to change airfilters, or Obama shot bin Ladin. They were both told by the military that it would be successful, and they gave the orders.

[ThelmaLou]

@carnivorousplant

How can you make any money next time if there are no poles to be knocked over?

Besides, when Trump buys the bankrupt island and turns it into the Biggest, Best, Resort/Golf Club ever, he won’t want all those unsightly poles. (Or other Eastern European ethnic groups…)

[jayjay]

@ThelmaLou

Besides, when Trump buys the bankrupt island and turns it into the Biggest, Best, Resort/Golf Club ever, he won’t want all those unsightly poles. (Or other Eastern European ethnic groups…)

Well, he likes Czechs. But only if they’re made out to him.

[ThelmaLou]

@jayjay

Well, he likes Czechs. But only if they’re made out to him.

Ba-da-BING!