The White House Saw The Collapse of Solyndra As A Political Issue

White House Saw Solyndra Collapse As Vital Political Issue -- Rick Moran, American Thinker

The Obama administration sought to soften the political blow the Solyndra bankruptcy was going to have, partly by massaging the press in advance of the collapse.

The Hill:

Several key White House offices were involved with the Obama administration's messaging plans and other preparations as the collapse of the taxpayer-backed solar company Solyndra was imminent, newly released documents show.

The latest White House documents delivered to House Republicans on Friday again highlight the extent to which senior administration officials braced for the fallout as Solyndra - a company President Obama had personally visited - was about to go under.

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My Comment: I would also love to know who in the media willingly permitted themselves to be manipulated by this White House push.

The Controversy Over Solyndra Continues

After Taking Credit for Solyndra “Success” in 2011, Obama Now Says It “Was Not Our Program, Per Se” (Video) -- Gateway Pundit

He must think we’re stupid…

In May 2011 the Obama Administration praised Solyndra as a stimulus success story. But, that was before it went bankrupt. Today Obama said Solyndra, “Was not our program, per se.”

Obama told the Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal that Solyndra really “was not our program.”
Unbelievable.

Real Clear Politics posted the transcript.

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My Comment: More on President Obama's blaming Congress for it's bankruptcy can be found here.

Is The U.S. Navy's Biofuels Program A Boondoggle?

Last month, the U.S. Navy deployed the Paul F. Foster - a decommissioned destroyer now used for experimental purposes - on a 17-hour voyage powered by Solazyme Inc.'s algae-derived biofuel. Photo: U.S. Navy

McCain Sees Another Solyndra In Navy Biofuels Spending -- The Hill

The Navy’s push to develop biofuels to run its fleet of planes and warships could devolve into a “Solyndra situation” for the Pentagon, a top Republican senator said today.

During Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, ranking member John McCain (R-Ariz.) compared the now-bankrupt solar energy company, into which the White House sank $535 million in loan guarantees, to Navy-led efforts in alternative energy.

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My Comment: What caught my eye was the following ....

.... But Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) pointed out that even at a competitive price, the Navy’s plan to use a “50/50 blend” of diesel fuel and a biofuel supplement would still cost $15 per gallon. Traditional JP-5 jet fuel used in the Navy’s fighter aircraft runs $4 to $5 per gallon on average, Inhofe said.

$15 per gallon !!!!! .... you've got to be kidding me. And what is even worse is that these are just projections .... projections from a government agency that has a lousy record in projecting anything.

Bottom line .... it is too expensive and if implemented will help in busting the defense department's budget. My suggestion .... go back to the drawing board and find an alternative plan that is more practical and economically feasible.

President Obama's Green Energy Abyss

Obama's Energy Abyss -- Post Gazette

He keeps wasting money on renewables

Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe," Steven Chu, now the energy secretary, said in a 2008 interview with the Wall Street Journal.

A gallon of regular costs more than $8 there. The Oil Price Information Service thinks the average price here will rise to $4.25 a gallon by the end of April. That would exceed the record of $4.11, set in July 2008.

A gallon of regular cost just $1.85 the day before President Barack Obama was inaugurated. If the price were to double again during a second Obama term, Mr. Chu's goal could be achieved.

Sen. Obama expressed little concern when the price of gas was approaching the current record high.

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Update: Obama’s Weekly Address – Investing in Clean Energy -- ABC News

My Comment: President Obama will continue to divert Federal monies into green projects not because of facts .... but because he believes that this is the solution. Science and market forces be damn.

$10 Million To Develop $50 Light Bulb

A look inside the Florida factory of LED bulb manufacturer Lighting Science Group, the sort of innovative, "green" company that many would like to keep in the U.S. Washington Post

Obama Spends $10 Million To Develop $50 Light Bulb -- Don Surber

The Obama administration created a $10 million L Prize to award the manufacturer who came up with an affordable and efficient light bulb. One would think the marketplace would take care of that but our federal government no more believes in free enterprise than I believe in global warming. This program began under President Bush.

Ah yes, who knows more about efficiency than the federal government?

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Update: Government-subsidized green light bulb carries costly price tag -- Washington Post

My Comment: There is NO MARKET for a $50 light bulb .... unless (of course) the government mandates it.

Why Are Federal Funds Flowing To Clean-Energy Firms With White House Ties?

Image from the RNC

Federal Funds Flow To Clean-Energy Firms With Obama Administration Ties -- Washington Post

Sanjay Wagle was a venture capitalist and Barack Obama fundraiser in 2008, rallying support through a group he headed known as Clean Tech for Obama.

Shortly after Obama’s election, he left his California firm to join the Energy Department, just as the administration embarked on a massive program to stimulate the economy with federal investments in clean-technology firms.

Following an enduring Washington tradition, Wagle shifted from the private sector, where his firm hoped to profit from federal investments, to an insider’s seat in the administration’s $80 billion clean-energy investment program.

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My Comment: Wow .... we are talking about an $80 billion clean-energy investment program .... that's big money.

Clean-Energy Firms With Obama Administration Ties Are Raking In The Money

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Federal Funds Flow To Clean-Energy Firms With Obama Administration Ties -- Washington Post

Sanjay Wagle was a venture capitalist and Barack Obama fundraiser in 2008, rallying support through a group he headed known as Clean Tech for Obama.

Shortly after Obama’s election, he left his California firm to join the Energy Department, just as the administration embarked on a massive program to stimulate the economy with federal investments in clean-technology firms.

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My Comment: It's nice when you have friends in high places, especially friends that you help to elect.

How Political Allies Are Making Money On Green Causes

Obama Backers Are Getting Rich On Green Causes -- Don Surber

Over the holidays, the New York Times reported: “Fisker Automotive is recalling all 239 of its 2012 Karma luxury plug-in hybrid cars because of a fire hazard.”

Not mentioned in the report was the fact that the Obama administration had given this tiny car company a Solyndra-sized loan of $529 million. Banks loans the money with the understanding that if the company flops, taxpayers will repay the loan. That Fisker received a loan at all was odd, since Fisker builds its cars in Uusikaupunki, Finland. But the Wall Street Journal reported that Al Gore is a backer of Fisker. That may explain why the Obama administration approved the loan.

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My Comment: Because Green sounds good.... does not necessarily mean that it is good. Unfortunately .... government backed loans to companies that are not structured to pay them back is becoming the legacy of going Green.