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  (Source: Bloomberg)
Republican Senators want to know why the Energy Department continues to fund failing companies

A123 Systems is the provider for the battery packs used in several electric and hybrid vehicles on the U.S. market today, including the Fisker Karma. A123 produces lithium-ion batteries and was the recipient of multiple federal grants from the U.S. government.

A123 Systems filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 16 after a deal with a Chinese auto parts company that would have rescued it collapsed.

The same day the company filed for bankruptcy protection, it received a payment of $946,830 from the U.S. government as a part of its $249 million Department of Energy grant for developing clean energy technology.
 
The grant has an outstanding balance of $115.8 million, and A123 is still eligible for the remainder of its grant funds if it decides to update or expand its manufacturing capacity.
 
Republican Senators John Thune and Chuck Grassley have been vocal in opposing any federal grant money being giving to A123 and have pressed the Department of Energy to explain why grant money has been continually given to the battery maker even as it has faltered and filed for bankruptcy protection.

A spokesman for the Energy Department, Bill Gibbons, said, "The Energy Department takes its responsibility to be good stewards of the taxpayers' money very seriously."

Source: Reuters


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RE: Wait a second.
By Savatar on 11/19/2012 12:50:19 PM , Rating: 3
The deal was that (most) republicans didn't want to 'bail out' companies, and instead wanted them to restructure. This is still an example of a company getting federal money as a hand-out with the taxpayer getting absolutely nothing in return. That's the gist of the issue.


RE: Wait a second.
By boeush on 11/19/2012 5:36:09 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
The deal was that (most) republicans didn't want to 'bail out' companies, and instead wanted them to restructure.
That's a laughable myth. Most Republicans as well as most Democrats had no problem bailing out Wall Street, to the tune of $Trillions. In fact, they are still doing that, and they plan on continuing to do that, basically forever or until our entire economy implodes. By comparison, GM and all the other non-finance companies are a miserable little drop in the bucket. There's a lot of important-sounding noise being made in political circles, and a lot of bright shiny objects flashed across infotainment/propaganda channels, but in truth the looting of America continues apace and quite regardless of which "party" is in charge.


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