Officials point fingers as state vows to disburse SolarCity funds early next week

The Buffalo News ^ | 2/26/2016 | Jonathan D. Epstein |

[fhayek]

State officials promised late Friday that tens of millions of dollars will start flowing first thing next week to financially strapped contractors on the SolarCity construction project, saving the jobs of 200 workers laid off earlier in the day because the state had fallen months behind in payments.

The opening of the spigot marked a dramatic breakthrough, hours after money woes threatened to stall one of the signature pieces of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion initiative. The state is spending $750 million to build the largest solar-panel manufacturing facility in North America, creating as many as 3,000 new jobs after it opens in the third quarter of 2017.....

[fhayek]

This is classic Big Government at its finest. Cuomo and other New York State libs trumpeted "Solar City" as the wave of the future and the savior of Buffalo. They are building a giant solar panel factory in Buffalo. This represents 'government investment in green energy', which of course, is a liberal wet dream. Only problem is, the state ain't paying its bills, and they are laying off workers and shutting down construction. I am sure that people like Cuomo cannot understand mundane things like over stretched operating budgets.

[ronnie raygun]

Criminals being criminals

[catnipman]

SolarCity appears to be a scam through and through:

https://www.google.com/search?q=solarcity+scam&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#

https://www.google.com/search?q=solarcity+buffalo&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

No wonder the state of New York is shoveling tens of million of taxpayer dollars to this boondoogle: it’s what Democrats do!

[PGR88]

Your screen name is “fhayek” and you are commenting on articles on Buffalo. Its a lonely existence to be a free-market conservative in Upstate NY, which reminds me of my visits to East Germany and Czechoslavakia before the Iron Curtain fell.

Seriously - nothing in either place gets done without the dead hand of government. All decisions are made elsewhere, everything is political and every power group needs to get their say and cut first. The population is fleeing and it snows a lot. Seriously - upstate New York IS the former East Germany.

[DoughtyOne]

Folks, if you're reading this, you know what needs to happen.
It doesn't take a big contribution. Pick your comfort level and
please join others to help put the FReepathon to rest. Thank you.

The above note was first presented to you on 02/25 at around 11:00.
The goal shortfall at that time is depicted to you on the left.
The graphic on the right reveals our status as of 02/26 22:30.
We can finish this by Sunday night. Let's do it.

Let's give Jim, his crew, and us a full month to rest up.

Jim, his crew, and every other FReeper thanks you.

[Ben Ficklin]

"This is classic Big Government at its finest. Cuomo and other New York State libs........."

The problem with that statement is that that California did the same thing and began when there was a republican guv. The republican state of Texas has done the same thing.

NY heavily advertises their solar capacity as a means of attracting business investment just as CA and TX advertise their renewables capacity as a means of attracting business investment.

On the other hand, GOP states such as OK, AZ, and FL have implemented policy that is very unfriendly towards solar.

You may not be aware of it but the GOP controlled US Congress extended the renewable energy tax credits for 5 years in the budget legislation last Dec.