IG: DOE Ignored Internal Expert’s Advice in Subsidizing Bankrupt Solar Company

The Department of Energy ignored warnings by internal solar experts when it subsidized a solar company backed by a major Democratic donor that went bankrupt in 2012, according to a report from federal watchdogs.

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William Yeatman, a senior fellow for the Competitive Enterprise Institute specializing in environmental policy, called the IG report “stunning,” and said it demonstrated that DOE’s loan program officers were “reckless” in their stewardship of taxpayer funds.

“Alas, these are the sorts of scandals inherent to government programs that pick winners and losers on the market,” Yeatman said in an email.

“The Obama administration views the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office as a tool to advance alternative energy, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer money is secondary to this policy purpose.”

The loan program office denied that it had failed to reconcile the various internal assessments of Abound’s ability to repay taxpayers.