The Biden Energy Slush Fund

null By Kimberley A. StrasselNov. 23, 2023 12:16 pm ETJournal Editorial Report: The week’s best and worst from Kim Strassel, Kyle Peterson, Mary O'Grady and Dan Henninger. Images: AP/AFP/Getty Images/Reuters/Zuma Press Composite: Mark KellyWashington’s return from Thanksgiving break will feature another go-round on whether to provide vital aid to Israel and Ukraine, and how to pay for it. Here’s a thought: Ask Jigar Shah for a couple hundred billion. He’s got that and more—and is otherwise using it for political “investment.”Mr. Shah isn’t a household name—unless your household includes lobbyists, financiers or crony capitalists. Those are the clients of Mr. Shah’s fief, the revived Energy Department Loan Programs Office. Last humiliated a decade ago, it’s part of that crack DOE bureaucracy that bet on such green tech ventures as Abound (the failed solar company), Fisker Automotive (the failed electric-car maker) and A123 (the failed battery maker). “This announcement today” is about

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The Biden Energy Slush Fund
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Kimberley A. Strassel

Nov. 23, 2023 12:16 pm ET

Journal Editorial Report: The week’s best and worst from Kim Strassel, Kyle Peterson, Mary O'Grady and Dan Henninger. Images: AP/AFP/Getty Images/Reuters/Zuma Press Composite: Mark Kelly

Washington’s return from Thanksgiving break will feature another go-round on whether to provide vital aid to Israel and Ukraine, and how to pay for it. Here’s a thought: Ask Jigar Shah for a couple hundred billion. He’s got that and more—and is otherwise using it for political “investment.”

Mr. Shah isn’t a household name—unless your household includes lobbyists, financiers or crony capitalists. Those are the clients of Mr. Shah’s fief, the revived Energy Department Loan Programs Office. Last humiliated a decade ago, it’s part of that crack DOE bureaucracy that bet on such green tech ventures as Abound (the failed solar company), Fisker Automotive (the failed electric-car maker) and A123 (the failed battery maker). “This announcement today” is about “investing in the infrastructure and technology of the future,” crowed Vice President Biden in 2009, unveiling a $535 million DOE loan for a solar outfit he promised would power 500,000 homes and create 1,000 jobs. That outfit was Solyndra.

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