Oct 29, 2017

Puerto Rico to cancel Whitefish Energy contract

Whitefish Energy contractors at work in Puerto Rico. Photo: Ramon Espinosa / AP

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello Sunday called on a government board to cancel a $300 million contract with the Montana company Whitefish Energy to rebuild the hurricane-ravaged island's power grid. Rossello said the contract became a distraction after members of Congress and FEMA raised concerns. Whitefish had only two full-time employees when Maria made landfall, and the company's largest project before this was a $1.3 million contract in Arizona.

Update: Puerto Rico's power authority says it will end the contract once ongoing work is completed. [Go deeper: A breakdown of the contract]

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Ben Geman

1 hour ago - Energy & Environment

BP's in the red, slashing its dividend and vowing a greener future

Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images

BP posted a $6.7 billion second-quarter loss and cut its dividend in half Tuesday while unveiling accelerated steps to transition its portfolio toward low-carbon sources.

Why it matters: The announcement adds new targets and details to its February vow to become a "net-zero" emissions company by mid-century.

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Sara Fischer

2 hours ago - Economy & Business

Women-focused non-profit newsrooms surge forward in 2020

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Women are pushing back against the gender imbalance in media by launching their own news nonprofits and focusing on topics many traditional news companies have long ignored.

Why it matters: "The news business is already gendered," says Emily Ramshaw, co-founder and CEO of The 19th*, a new nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting at the intersection of women, politics and policy.

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Scott Rosenberg

2 hours ago - Technology

The U.S. is now playing by China's internet rules

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

President Trump's crackdown on TikTok suggests that the U.S. government is starting to see the internet more like China does — as a network that countries can and should control within their borders.

The big picture: Today's global internet has split into three zones, according to many observers: The EU's privacy-focused network; China's government-dominated network; and the U.S.-led network dominated by a handful of American companies. TikTok's fate suggests China's model has U.S. fans as well.