Fact Sheets

DOE Loan Guarantees: Overview, Risks, and More

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September 03, 2012
Programs: Energy

Created in Title 17 of the 2005 Energy Policy Act, the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program has received increased scrutiny with the default of a loan guarantee to the solar start-up company, Solyndra.

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Created in Title 17 of the 2005 Energy Policy Act, the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program has received increased scrutiny with the recent default of a loan guarantee to the solar start-up company, Solyndra. TCS has warned that the program’s flawed structure and political ties, as early as its inception, would lead to taxpayers losing billions. Read some of TCS’s materials below:

Program Overview:

Department of Energy: Loan Guarantee Program Overview

Taxpayer Risks with the Loan Guarantee Program

No More Solyndras Act Falls Short for Taxpayers(July 2012)

House Subcommittee Discusses Loan Guarantees (November 2011)

Loan Guarantee Program Up for Review (November 2011)

Uranium Loan Guarantee is a Bad Bet (November 2011)

Solyndra Probe Continues (October 2011)

Clock Ticking on Only Some of the Risky DOE Loan Guarantees (September 2011)

Telepress Conference: $14 Trillion U.S. Debt Leaves No Room For Treasury-Backed Loan Guarantees for Energy Projects (June 2011)

TCS Weighs in on Proposed Changes to the DOE Loan Guarantee Program (September 2009)

Government Reports:

Problems with DOE Loan Guarantee Program Continue (March 2012)

White House Loan Guarantee Review: DOE Should “Proactively Protect the Taxpayers’ Interest” (February 2012)

Another Report Points to Taxpayers Losing Billions On Risky DOE Loan Guarantees(August 2011)

Energy Loan Guarantee Program Under More Scrutiny (March 2011)

New Report Finds DOE Loan Guarantee Program Riddled with Problems (June 2010)

Letters to Congress:

Letter to Congress: No More Solyndras Act Fails to Fully Protect Taxpayers (July 2012)

Stop the Next Solyndra: Put the Brakes on Troubled Loan Guarantee Program (June 2012)

TCS Letter to the House and Senate Energy and Water Development Subcommittees: Stop New Authority to DOE Loan Guarantee Program (April 2011)

Coalition Urges Congress to Oppose Wasteful $10 Billion Increase in DOE Loan Guarantee Authority in Continuing Resolution (December 2010)

Information on the Loan Guarantee Applicants:

Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program: Current Loan Guarantee Commitments (September 2012)

Department of Energy Loan Guarantees: $8 Billion Allocated for Fossil Fuel Projects(August 2012)

DOE Renewable and Energy Efficiency Loan Guarantees (December 2011; updated August 2012)

Taxpayer-Backed Loan Guarantees for Liquid Coal: Medicine Bow, Wyoming (December 2011, updated September 2012)

Department of Energy Loan Guarantees: Uranium Enrichment (October 2011; updated May 2012)

Federal Loan Guarantees for Nuclear Reactors: Details of the Current Applicants (June 2010)

And for posterity, here's a copy of a letter we sent back in 2007 warning about the program:

Oppose Blank Check Loan Guarantees in Final Energy Bill (October 2007)

Filed under: Avoid Unnecessary Liabilities, Increase Transparency

Discussion
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