No Slime On My Dime!
Posted on 03/21/2012 8:34:32 PM PDT by Iam1ru1-2
Pond scum stinks. And so do the Obama administration's enormous, taxpayer-funded "investments" in politically connected biofuel companies. While the president embarks on a green rehabilitation tour this week to quell growing public outrage about big green boondoggles, the White House continues to cultivate a cozy algae racket.
Obama's promotion of algae as a fuel source at a campaign speech in Miami last month caught the nation's attention. But algae companies have been banking on administration support from Day One. In December 2008, when the White House announced the nomination of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the CEO of Florida-based biofuels startup Algenol, Paul Woods, exulted to Time magazine: "You see this smile on my face? It's not going away. Everyone is really excited by this."
The next year, Woods and Algenol -- dubbed "Obama's favorite algae company" by Forbes magazine -- racked up $25 million in federal stimulus grants from Chu. Say cheese.
Yet another algae-based biofuels developer, Sapphire Energy, has absorbed $105 million in stimulus funds and loan guarantees even as doubts about the practicality, efficiency and viability of pond-scum fuels multiply. Sapphire's CEO, Jason Pyle, has donated exclusively to Democratic campaigns, candidates and committees -- and his company's website reads like a satellite White House communications office:
-- "President Obama Announces $14 Million Funding Opportunity To Develop Transportation Fuels from Algae";
-- "President Obama's Secure Energy Blueprint -- Industry Reaction";
-- "Obama Defends Energy Policy, Hitting Back At Presidential Candidates."
Another prominent DOE recipient in the world of blue-green sludge? San Francisco-based Solazyme. The manufacturer of algae-based renewable fuels has scooped up more than $21 million in federal stimulus grants and contracts. Solazyme's ties to the White House and the Democratic establishment in Washington are myriad. As blogger J.E. Dyer at HotAir.com (which I founded in 2006 and sold in 2010) reported in December, Solazyme's "strategic advisers" include TJ Glauthier -- a member of the Obama presidential transition team who just happened to work "on the energy-sector portion of the 2009 stimulus bill."
Andrew Stiles of the Washington Free Beacon writes that Glauthier:
"serves on the board of EnerNOC Inc., a company that provides demand-response services to electric utility firms. EnerNOC won a $10 million contract with the Department of Energy Resources in 2010 despite being underbid by competitors, the Boston Herald reported. Glauthier also served on the board of SunRun, a solar financing company that received a $6.7 million federal grant in 2010."
And in total, Glauthier adds, "Solazyme officials including Glauthier have contributed at least $360,000 to Democrats since 2007."
Wait, that's not all. The head of Solazyme's Washington lobbying office is Drew Littman, former chief of staff for Democratic Sen. Al Franken. Littman's old pal, entrenched D.C. lobbyist and Obama appointee Michael Meehan, feted Littman earlier this year and bragged that "we couldn't be more thrilled to be working on a daily basis with Drew and the Solazyme team."
Thanks to one of President Obama's executive orders, Solazyme secured a $12 million contract with the U.S. Navy to unload hundreds of thousands of gallons of biofuel -- priced at an estimated four to seven times the normal cost of regular jet fuel.
This self-sustaining crony ecosystem, powered by administrative fiat and wealth redistribution, gives new meaning to the phrase "green crude."
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Michelle Malkin is the author of "Culture of Corruption: Obama and his Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks & Cronies" (Regnery 2010). COPYRIGHT 2012 CREATORS.COM
I have a pond with lots of scum and would be pleased to sell Mr. O as much has he wants. How about $100 a barrel.
Some strains of algae are virtual biochemical oil factories, so the idea has merit. The problem no one has been able to solve yet is how to grow millions of tons of algae essentially for free - that is, no input costs, no energy costs, and that it virtually harvests itself.
And she neglects to tell the other side of the corruption story - Renewable Energy Standards, whereby a state says “by year such-and-such, X percent of our fuels must come from renewable sources”. This is going on all over the place and it is nothing but a way of creating artificial demand for a product that cannot be profitably produces. In other words, the gummint is messing around on the supply side by declaring Algae the winner and giving incentives to produce it, and also on the demand side.
It’s totally corrupt and intellectually dishonest.
Let the free market pick the winners and demand will be real and supply will grow with private investment to meet it.
We all know that politicians are corrupt but this administration has to get the “OSCAR”.
Mr O is involved in another scam. Support the Saudis at America’s expense. America is in a recession and energy consumption has dropped. Globally? The other developed economies are suffering too. In the meanwhile the prices are running up.
Sure, Iran has been threatening to shut down the strait, but that is not new.
This new scam was initiated when Obama bowed down.
Mr O is involved in another scam. Support the Saudis at America’s expense. America is in a recession and energy consumption has dropped. Globally? The other developed economies are suffering too. In the meanwhile the prices are running up.
Sure, Iran has been threatening to shut down the strait, but that is not new.
This new scam was initiated when Obama bowed down.
Pond scum? Algae? Obastard is the very definition of pond scum personified.
Watch, he will do like most politicians but much better. He will emerge FILTHY RICH from KICKBACKS and he is getting plenty. This administration will make Teapot Dome look paltry by comparison.
Are people, such as Wisconsin, finally getting fed up with having their very opportunity to make a living stomped on by communist liberals? When will the people who want opportunity finally rise up and crush the traitors in our country? IT IS TIME.
That woman was forward thinking, even if she didn't have a clue of what the hell she was talking about.
The Obamaoids scam is much much bigger than Algae..
Like Trump said.. he might have pulled off “the BIGG ONNE” i.e. scam
Obama has proven there are “suckers” born every minute..
Most american women and not a few american men SUCK..
Anyone that would vote for Obama or Romney don’t blow.. they!!.
Well you know!..
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Spot on Hosepipe!
From the Kenyan only lies emit Our POTUS may not be legit He's all for one party rule And the media thinks that's cool So the real birth certificate he'll never remit
Zer0 knows that algae is a fraud. Everything he says is a sick, cynical lie.
that’s not how you spell ‘all gay’’
As we are seeing, the problem are cronyism, insufficient numbers of qualified scientific people to review grant applications and far too much creative writing in grant applications.
I'm hoping that the economy will turn around and a variety of private funding for small projects will be available.
“I’m hoping that the economy will turn around and a variety of private funding for small projects will be available.”
Me too, like building my new house, a cool vacation and a new couch..screw algae for the next 30 years.
good work....
another important topic.
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