hometown of interior secretary ryan zinke. look, i ve been at this for 25 years, and this does not pass the smell test. reporter: zinke s office telling abc news he knows the owner because they both live in a small town, adding that the secretary s son worked a summer job at one of their construction sites. but today, his office was emphatic. neither the secretary, nor anyone in his office, have taken any meetings or action on behalf of this company. whitefish says they re simply the best team for the job, pointing out they use helicopters and repair buckets that reach 70 feet higher than typical power trucks. you know, we specialize in difficult and mountainous terrain projects. every day that they re without power is a day that economy isn t functioning, it s another day people are suffering. reporter: david, puerto rico s governor said today they had little choice, that whitefish was the one company on the ground willing to do the work without payment upfront. but he add