So, these people get billions of dollars from us, to produce craptastic technologies which subsidize entire industries based around their failed technology – which serve as a funnel for further taxpayer rape by Obama donors.
ShareIf you live outside Colorado, you probably haven’t heard of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory – NREL for short. It’s the place where solar panels, windmills and corn are deemed the energy source of the future and companies who support such endeavors are courted.
It’s also the place where highly paid staff decide how to spend hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars.
And the public pays those decision-makers well: NREL’s top executive, Dr. Dan Arvizu, makes close to a million dollars per year. His two top lieutenants rake in more than half a million each and nine others make more than $350,000 a year.
But what is really going on there? Energy expert Amy Oliver Cooke drove out to the site, which looks something like Nevada’s Area 51 with its remote location and forbidding concrete buildings. NREL had started a construction project and Cooke wanted to see for herself. She didn’t get far: a man in an SUV seemingly appeared out of nowhere, stopped her car, and told her to leave.
“A beefy looking fellow told me, ‘It’s top secret,’ said Cooke, director of the Energy Policy Center at the Independence Institute think tank. “I said, ‘I’m a taxpayer and I want to see what you’re building’ and he said it was it was ‘top secret so we can bring Americans a better future.’”
With its bloated budget and overseen by a $533 million a year government-funded management company, Cooke isn’t buying it.
“NREL has given us two of the most significant boondoggles, one of them being ethanol and the other being (bankrupt) Abound Solar,” she said. “They were part of the team that pushed Abound Solar along. In fact, they wrote in March 2011 on their website how proud they were of their role in abound solar.
“Am I impressed with NREL? No, not really,” she said.
NREL’s taxpayer-funded management company has seen its budget more than double since 2006. That’s when one of its most ardent supporters, Rep. Ed Perlmutter D-Lakewood, was first elected to Congress. The lab sits in the middle of his district.
This data is from Summer of 2012:
Renewable “Green” energy source requirements (2010 reports) have increased costs, on average 32%:
1)29 states have adopted new standards including DC and Puerto Rico
2)Residential rate increases = 31.9% higher than in remaining 21 other states
3)Industrial rate increases = 30.7% higher
4)Commercial rate increases = 27.4% higher
Some facts:
1)Wind was 17 times higher than the cost of nuclear power
2)Wind was 5 times higher than the cost of coal power
3)Solar was 31 times higher than the cost of nuclear power
4)Solar was 9 times higher than the cost of coal power
As of 3/29/2011 Nuclear power generated 13.5% of all world electricity and solar a mere 0.6%.
Solar panel production:
China: 2003= 1%….2009= 38%
USA: 2003=14%…2009= 4%
Just kinda jog memories of “redistribution of taxpayers hard earned dollars” to the american 1%:
This is a comprehensive list of failed “Green” iniciatives by this administration, unreported, but very real. Cost to taxpayers: $1.1 trillion dollars (estimated).
March 2011 to March 2012.
Evergreen Solar, Solyndra, Luminant Energy, Ecotality, Raser Technologies, Nevada Geothermal Power, US Geothermal, Fisker Electronic Car Co., Tesla Electronic Car Co., Ameren Corp., Beacon Power Corp., General Motors, A123, Enerdel, Johnson Controls(Apterra Car Maker), Range Fuels(later bought by Lunatech, New Zealand + $7 million dollars in grants), TARP (bailed out 458 companies), Enerl Ind. And Enerdel, Amonix, Pathstone, First Energy Corp., Energy Conversion Devices (ECD), United Solar Ovonic, Abound Solar, Solar Trust of America, Solar Millinium (Germany). (May8, 2012) 5 N Plus closed their doors. $500,000 from Wisconsin taxpayers (laid off 12 employees).
A snippet, informing the “Great Unwashed” of some real facts!
(20 May 2012) The General Accounting Office (GAO) claims federal land known as the Green River Formation, at the juncture of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, may contain more oil than the rest of the world’s proven reserves. Czar Obama will oppose drilling permits. (Source: 14 May 2012 Godfather Politics) Pray. Amen.
Does anybody know about the Ogallala Aquifer having only 20 years remaining? It’s 50% depleated.”Dust Bowl” commeth!
I support the development of green technologies like solar, wind, biofuels, etc. But I cannot support the milking of taxpayers money by burocrats like this “million dollar government employee”. This cannot be true, does Arvizu really make a million dollars? Assuming he does, is a gross failure in oversight because not even the Secretary of the DoE or even the president of the USA make that kind of money. Something is fishy: either the reporter is full of it or Arvizu and company are taking taxpayers for a ride and filling their pockets with cash laughing all the way to the bank. Hope somebody investigates this alleged abuse of government funds.
MRIGlobal and Alliance tax documents obtained by Watchdog show most earned well into six-figures:
Dan Arvizu, Alliance president and NREL director
2010: $928,069
2009: $691,570
2008: $652,159
Bobi Garrett
Bobi Garrett, NREL senior vice president of Outreach, Planning and Analysis
2010: $524,226.
2009: $398,022
William Glover, NREL deputy lab director and CEO (retired)
2010: $557,571
2009: $407,361
2008: $315,465
Catherine Porto, NREL senior vice president
2010: $406,339
2009: $223,553
The budget to manage Alliance is mind-boggling — and rising. For 2010, tax documents show, Alliance received $532.9 million from the Department of Energy, a whopping $189 million more than they were paid in 2008.