Saturday, January 30, 2021



As Michigan governor, energy secretary nominee Jennifer Granholm divvied millions in taxpayer funds to alternative energy startups that went bankrupt

President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Department of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, divvied out millions in taxpayer funds during her two terms as Michigan governor to alternative energy companies that eventually went bankrupt.

In one instance, Granholm’s administration provided a $9.1 million refundable tax credit to a renewable energy company registered to the address of a single-wide trailer and run by a convicted embezzler named Richard Short. Short was found to be in violation of his parole and sent back to prison after appearing on stage with Granholm in 2010 to accept assistance from the Michigan Economic Growth Authority, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential.

Granholm also granted $10 million to an electric car battery manufacturer, A123 Systems, in 2009 and lauded the company in a press conference, saying it would help “make Michigan the alternative energy capital of North America and the advanced battery capital of the world.”

A123 Systems, which also received a $249.12 million federal grant by the Obama administration, filed for bankruptcy in 2012. The company is still in operation today as a subsidiary of a Chinese firm, Wanxiang America.

Another manufacturer of electric vehicle components that received Michigan taxpayer-funded assistance under Granholm’s watch, Azure Dynamics, filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and laid off 12o employees.

Granholm served as governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011.

Only 2.3 percent of the 434 projects funded by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority under Granholm’s watch were successful in meeting their projected job creation goals, according to the American Energy Alliance.

Granholm would take a leading role in bringing Biden’s goal of building 550,000 electric vehicle charging stations and replacing the federal government’s fleet of vehicles with electric vehicles if she gets confirmed by the senate. The Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources is holding hearing on Granholm’s nomination Wednesday.

Granholm’s critics say her record as Michigan’s governor disqualifies her from heading the Department of Energy. “If her track record in Michigan was an audition for the Department of Energy she certainly failed,” American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“She had a history of not doing due diligence, throwing money to try to force technological changes that weren’t ready for the marketplace,” Pyle said. “She basically saddled Michigan taxpayers with millions of dollars in a sort of transfer to startups and most of them were failures. Why would you put someone in charge of the pursestrings at the Department of Energy who has a track record like that?”

A former EPA transition team member for the Trump administration, Steve Milloy, said in a statement Wednesday that Granholm is “bound to be a disaster” as head of the Energy Department.

“Some of the battery companies she funded in 2010 were based on the faulty notion that, by 2020, electric cars would be popular with consumers. They’re not,” Milloy said. “Now Biden is entrusting Granholm to hand out tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to green tech companies. What we’re mostly likely to get are more green bankruptcies like Solyndra and Frisker Automotive.”

“Let’s not forget that one of DOE’s primary duty is management of the nuclear weapons laboratories, an area in which Granholm has no experience or expertise,” Milloy added.

Unity: Republicans, Democrats and Industry Despise Biden's Latest Executive Order

Despite decrying the overuse of executive orders during the campaign as dictatorial, on Wednesday, Joe Biden let loose another blizzard of executive orders. Just half a week into his presidency, CNN counted up 30 such orders coming from Biden’s Oval Office on a wide array of subjects. Biden has imposed so many executive orders that the nation, including the media, has no time to analyze or react to most of them.

But Biden executive orders concerning domestic energy production are getting attention, scrutiny — and pushback. His climate-change order includes a directive to end so-called federal “subsidies” for fossil-fuel producers.

But here’s the thing. While so-called renewable energy sources are heavily subsidized at the federal and state levels, fossil-fuel producers are not. There is no “fossil-fuel subsidy.”

Jason Modglin, president of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, was succinct when I reached out to him.

“[T]he President promised to raise $40 billion in taxes on domestic producers today. There is no fossil-fuel subsidy in the Tax Code but there are standard business deductions including: the domestic manufacturing deduction, able to deduct costs, and account for asset depletion. These are similar to other deductions for domestic businesses.”

One source told me Biden’s action would “cripple” the industry. Fossil-fuel producers can presently write off the types of operational expenses any business may write off. For energy producers, this includes intangible drilling costs and depletion write-offs. If those write-offs go away, if Biden succeeds in singling out producers from being able to take the business write-offs other types of businesses can take, it would cripple their operations.

While Republicans can be expected to oppose Biden’s actions, and several including Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Yvette Harrell (R. N.M.) have, some Democrats have also stepped up demanding that Biden rescind the order imposing a moratorium on drilling and leasing activities on federal land.

Reps. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas), and Marc Veasey (D-Texas) sent a letter to the Biden administration opposing that EO. In the letter, they tell Biden that New Mexico, which voted for him by about 10 percentage points, would be devastated if the order stays in place.

New Mexico, a small, poor state that receives a huge portion of their revenue for things like funding Albuquerque schools, will find this rule devastating. Such a rule could also tighten supplies, send heating and cooling bills up, and cause a spike in fuel prices during a pandemic. Furthermore, this benefits Big Oil over small independents that did not have the resources to stockpile permits.

Energy producers in Texas, New Mexico, and other producing states are still reeling from the collapse in demand caused by the COVID pandemic. Layoffs have been massive. Biden’s orders would add to that misery.

The Democrats’ letter details further serious negative economic consequences that they say will result from Biden’s actions.

Near-term loss of potentially one million jobs;

A cumulative decrease in U.S. GDP by $700 billion;

Loss of one of the most significant sources of federal revenue;
Loss of a major source of revenue for programs like LWCF and individual states;

Net increase of crude imports by two million barrels per day from foreign countries, weakening U.S. energy and national security and increasing our dependence to others;

Reduction in critical energy supplies for Americans; and,

Legal implications from the Interior Department’s failure to meet statutory requirements to hold lease sales.

Biden’s orders, then, would have the collective effect of crushing the domestic energy industry, creating massive job losses, devastating state budgets, including states that voted for him, and shipping jobs overseas — mainly to China.

Biden Commerce Secretary: Sorry Folks, We're Raising Taxes to Pay for Climate Policies

During her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill this week, Biden Commerce Secretary nominee Gina Raimondo admitted Democrats will have to raise taxes on all Americans, including the middle and lower class, in order to pay for President Biden's "climate" agenda.

"Let me say this, I as governor am deeply in touch with how much increasing bills affect the average American family. Having said that, we do need to meet the climate change challenge and we need funds for improved infrastructure," Raimondo said. "I would look to balance those interests."

Last week Transportation Secretary nominee Pete Buttigieg told Keystone XL Pipeline workers, who President Biden promptly sent to the unemployment line upon arriving in the Oval Office, to "find another job."

As Senator Ted Cruz noted, the Keystone XL pipeline is in fact an infrastructure project.

Climate Change Emergency?

Phelim McAleer

Ann and I got our start in American politics covering the FAKE climate emergency in the 2000s with the rise of political phonies Al Gore and John Kerry.

If you remember this time, it was full of hyperbolic dog whistles telling us that the world was going to end if we keep flying on planes. All while hypocrites like Al Gore jet-setted around the world without a worry!

These climate elites want access to luxuries while they ban you from them in the name of “saving the planet.” As you may know, these issues have resurfaced with the new Joe Biden administration. In the past few days, we’ve seen left-wing climate policies enacted through executive orders based on junk science.

That’s why Ann and I are releasing our documentary “Not Evil, Just Wrong” for FREE for you and your family to enjoy. These issues are going to be front and center again and it’s important for as many people to know the facts as possible.

You can watch the film for free below. It was made 10 years ago (keep that in mind) but the themes are even more relevant today!

Watch here: https://bit.ly/3pz8mzq

Watch for FREE!

We hope you enjoy the film and learn about how detrimental this will be for our country (and world) if politicians like Al Gore and John Kerry are successful. And if you’ve already seen “Not Evil, Just Wrong” -- please send it to your friends.

Via email: info@unreportedstorysociety.com

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My other blogs. Main ones below

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

http://snorphty.blogspot.com TONGUE-TIED)

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://john-ray.blogspot.com (FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC) Saturdays only

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

https://heofen.blogspot.com/ (MY OTHER BLOGS)

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