Department of Energy

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Energy Sec Slammed in Solyndra Mess

Too much science, not enough politics at Energy Dept., say critics

(Newser) - The ugly tanking of government-funded solar-energy company Solyndra has many people questioning whether Energy Secretary Steven Chu can handle the job, reports Politico . "Just because you are a Nobel Prize-winning physicist doesn't mean you'd be a good orthopedic surgeon," criticized a Bush-era Energy Department official. "...

Green Jobs Program Coming Up Short on Jobs

Loans producing a lot fewer jobs than advertised

(Newser) - President Obama’s “green jobs” loan program—which recently grabbed the spotlight thanks to Solyndra's collapse —isn’t producing anything close to the 65,000 jobs promised, at least not directly. The program has already lent out half of the $38.6 billion allotted to it, but...

FBI Descends on Solyndra
 FBI Descends on Solyndra 
Sep 8, 2011 11:54 AM CDT

FBI Descends on Solyndra

Orders come from Department of Energy

(Newser) - In the wake of last week’s shocking bankruptcy filing by solar firm Solyndra, FBI agents descended on the company headquarters with search warrants today. An FBI spokesperson tells NBC News the investigation is at the request of the inspector general of the Department of Energy. Congress demanded a hearing...

Feds Coughing Up $4.5B for Calif. Solar Projects

Three projects to generate 1,330 megawatts of power

(Newser) - Hollywood may be home to the stars, but California is going solar—with $4.5 billion in loan guarantees from the Department of Energy going to three solar energy projects, reports the AP . The three projects, to be announced today, will create 1,330 metawatts of power and generate 1,...

US Sending Robots to Fukushima

Radiation-hardened robots to assist at stricken plant

(Newser) - The Energy Department is sending a squad of robots—and people—to help Japan in its battle to regain control of its Fukushima nuclear plant. A shipment of "radiation hardened robotics" is being sent to Japan along with 40 people and thousands of pounds of other equipment, a top...

Thanks to Obama, My Toilet Won't Flush: Rand Paul

Senator slams administration's energy-efficiency rules

(Newser) - Sen. Rand Paul yesterday ripped into the Energy Department's efficiency rules, which he says require Americans to buy poorly-flushing toilets and unwanted light bulbs, reports USA Today . "My toilets don't work in my house. And I blame you and people like you who want to tell me what I...

GM Plans to Produce Electric Motors

Department of Energy grant will create new line at Maryland plant

(Newser) - General Motors is planning to invest $246 million—$105 million of which will come from a Department of Energy grant—in a new electric motor production line. The project is expected to create roughly 200 jobs, and represents a big bet on the future of electric cars. GM officials likened...

Would-Be Car-Battery Kings Jostle Over $2.4B From Feds

States seek to become lithium-ion capital of US

(Newser) - Some 165 companies and states are battling for a $2.4 billion Obama administration grant aimed at making the US a leader in electric-car batteries, the Wall Street Journal reports. General Motors, Dow Chemical, and General Electric are among the firms vying for the money; states like Michigan, Kentucky, and...

White House Staffer Caught Flu in Mexico

(Newser) - An administration staffer who worked at a dinner President Obama attended during his trip to Mexico likely contracted the H1N1 virus there, the Washington Post reports. The unnamed Energy Department security worker has since transmitted the flu to his wife, son, and nephew, though he has been cleared of the...

Carbon Dioxide Gets Buried in Midwest Experiment

Site in Illinois may be able to hold 100 billion tons of CO2

(Newser) - Construction began this week on an Energy Department project that aims to bury a million metric tons of carbon dioxide beneath Illinois' surface by 2012, Wired reports. While that's peanuts compared to the billions of tons emitted each year, the project—the largest such injection to date—could pave the...

Chu Vows to Boost Energy Efficiency

(Newser) - Energy Secretary-designate Steven Chu told a Senate panel today that he would pursue an expansion of nuclear and clean coal power if confirmed, Politico reports. Chu had been criticized for calling coal “my worst nightmare.” Barack Obama has also been vague about his nuclear energy policy. But while...

High Costs Put Clean Coal on Back Burner

Plans to scrub coal-plant emissions hit money wall

(Newser) - Ambitious plans to combat global warming by pumping carbon dioxide from coal-burning power plants into the ground have been delayed or canned due to spiraling costs, the New York Times reports. Scientists now fear that the next generation of coal-burning plants will be built using old, emission-spewing technology, spelling disaster...

US Can Drive 55—and Should, Greens Say

Call to lower limit claims better mileage, lower emissions

(Newser) - Escalating fuel prices and fear of global warming are rekindling debate over the nation's maximum speed limit—and environmentalists are urging Congress to slow the US back down to 55 mph, Wired reports. Advocates say going back to the speed limit set during the oil crunch of the 1970s will...

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