Oregon's signature solar energy (scam) project built on foundation of false hopes and falsehoods

The Oregonian ^ | February 27, 2015 | Ted Sickinger & Jeff Manning

[hiho hiho]

Dignitaries gathered on a dry Klamath Falls hillside in August 2011 to celebrate the launch of the largest solar power project ever attempted in Oregon.

As then-Gov. John Kitzhaber and others dug their golden shovels into the hard ground, they were adamant that this was not another state-sponsored green energy boondoggle. This $27 million collection of solar arrays would be a boon for the economy as well as the environment.

For nearly $12 million in tax credits, state officials said, taxpayers could expect the project developer to buy local and hire local, creating a virtuous circle of energy savings, reduced greenhouse gases and jobs.


"An economy of innovation is within our reach," Kitzhaber said, rewarding "efficiency rather than excess."

Kitzhaber got the efficiency part right. The solar arrays fired up a year ago, generating even more power than expected at Oregon Institute of Technology and Oregon State University.

But those solar arrays rest on a foundation of falsehoods and false hopes, an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive has found.

Interviews and an examination of thousands of pages of documents show that state officials wrongly awarded millions in state tax credits, turning a blind eye to phony documents. The project also was dogged by an international trade war, a bitter corporate rivalry and a stunning twist that traded high-paid Oregon jobs for prison labor at 93 cents an hour.

[Twotone]

And in a related Kitzhaber story...

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/02/gov_john_kithabers_and_cylvia.html

Too funny.

[Fightin Whitey]

Bertha is supposed to link up with Boston’s Big Dig any day now!

[Veggie Todd]

Sadly, if the election was held today Kitz would still win.

[mowowie]

So i’m on a detour through my town here in MA 2 months ago and i drive past this big solar farm filled with oxidized foggy looking solar panels that i never knew was there and i’m asking myself “Who the F paid for this Boondoggle?”.
Then i quickly realize who in fact paid for it.
Silly me.

Meanwhile my elec rate went up around 39% this year.
Wonder how those panels are doing with 5 feet of snow on top of them at the moment...

[gundog]

And we’ve got Bill Bradbury polishing his enviro- chops as a Gore acolyte.

[grundle]

The solar arrays fired up a year ago, generating even more power than expected

So even when a solar power project does work at providing energy, liberals still manage to find a way to commit fraud against the taxpayers regarding the funding.

Solar power is getting cheaper and cheaper, and more and more efficient. Let's hope that someday it won't involve fraud or the screwing of taxpayers.

[grundle]

I keep all my important data doubly backed up on two different flash drives. When my computer crashed three years ago, all I had to was reinstall the data on my new computer.