Republicans target Biden’s $400 billion Green Bank, recalling Solyndra controversy

“Solyndra is going to look like chump change” this time around, Senator John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican leading efforts to hamstring the program, told reporters.

Barrasso and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, who heads the House Energy and Commerce Committee, have asked the Energy Department for extensive documentation concerning the Loan Programs Office. 

The office has substantial funding following the Democrats’ 2022 climate legislation.

They’ve also urged the agency’s inspector general to scrutinize the director of the office, Jigar Shah, citing concerns about his involvement with a non-governmental clean tech group he established, which they argue could compromise the program’s impartiality.

Shah has refuted these claims. 

During testimony before a Senate panel in October, he minimized his involvement in the office’s decisions to approve loans, stating that such determinations were primarily handled by the staff. 

A representative for the loan program emphasized that rigorous examination is applied to any company seeking financing.

“Some in Congress use every opportunity to attack American companies, rally for their failure, and send good-paying jobs overseas,” the spokesperson said. 

“We hold all of our borrowers accountable in order to raise national standards for everything from manufacturing processes to sales techniques to consumer protections.”

The Republican endeavors are expected, at the very least, to impede the loan guarantee process by occupying the time and attention of agency officials and diverting key decision-makers. 

This observation was made by the Washington-based consulting firm Clearview Energy Partners in a client advisory last month.

To avoid additional scrutiny, the office might choose to defer potentially contentious decisions, the firm suggested.