Obama's Algae Racket

Townhall.com ^ | March 21, 2012 | Michelle Malkin

[Kaslin]

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."

[ROCKLOBSTER]

I think it warrants R&D...SUBSIDIZED BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR!

[the invisib1e hand]

He’s got a bridge he’ll sell ya, too.

[LomanBill]

When’s Moochelle going to plagiar up something about the tax payer subsidized SDS pipeline that been shoved up her own back yard to provide subsidized water for a certain energy-related activity presently imposing itself upon the high plains East of Colorado Springs?

Frack that.

[NYCop]

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.” Alongside the FT. HOOD murderer perhaps...

[hadaclueonce]

Is the Corn Lobby out of money?

[LomanBill]

>>Pond scum stinks.

 

And the appointee cronyism between Sean "Mr. SDS Rubber Stamp" Paige's special marital relationship with US Bank and the monopolist Colorado Springs Utility enterprise was rose water.  Uhuh.  How'come you never wrote about that Michelle?

 

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=Michelle+Malkin+"SDS+Pipeline"

 

Americans Presstitutes for [Crony] Prosperity.  FAIL.

[MrB]

Is there ANY policy of 0bama’s that doesn’t take taxpayer money and funnel it to democRat donors?

[Standing Wolf]

The Chicagoization of America continues.

[BitWielder1]

Where would they get permits to build the millions of acres of algae farms that will be needed?
Nowhere on land. It requires too much land and too much water.
Nowhere in the ocean, too much fertilizer spill.
Algae ponds are just another expensive, wet and messy way to collect solar energy.
And they will never approve of harvesting existing algae in such quantities.
So this is a non-starter. Another Eco-ideology failure.

[thackney]

tax payer subsidized SDS pipeline

Can you provide a link to more information on this?

[LomanBill]

http://www.sdswater.org/

BOHICA

[LomanBill]

If you trace the ownership and history of the Banning Lewis property East of Colorado Springs. You’ll see what a monumental exercise in Crony Cluster Fracking looks like.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=SDS+Banning+Lewis

Water water everywhere and not a drop for development.

[thackney]

What energy project needs water located within the city of Colorado Springs?

[LomanBill]

Is fracking water intensive?

[LomanBill]

http://csbj.com/2011/09/23/fracking-forces-el-paso-county-to-consider-regulation-stragegy/

[thackney]

Yes, but they are not going to give them the water for free.

How is selling water a subsidy?

[LomanBill]

The citizens of Colorado Springs were NEVER given a chance to vote for or against that pipeline.

But they’re sure paying for it.

[thackney]

As will all the users of the water.

It is not a subsidy if the users are charged the cost. I am also confident that hydraulic fracturing is not going to use a significant portion of the water deliveried.

In Texas, we have nearly half the drilling rigs in the nations working here. The Eagle Ford Shale field take a very high amount of water compared to other shale fields for successful hydraulic fracturing of the field. We are far above the water use compared to other shale fields or drilling areas.

And that hydraulic fracturing amounts to about 1% of the areas total water use.

The water use is a couple millions of gallons per well, but that is a one time use. But SDS starts with a 50 million-gallons-per-day water treatment plant planned to expand to 100 million gallons per day.

Just how many wells do you think are going Colorado Springs? Hydraulic Fracturing will use some water from this system, very likely. But it is not the driving force for that much water, nor are the completion companies going to be given the water for free.

[LomanBill]

>>It is not a subsidy if the users are charged the cost

Since when is government supposed to be in the business of selling anything, Comrade?