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In response to an article I wrote last week, a reader pointed out that the US Department of Energy Loan Programs Office has stopped providing any loans from the loan program that once helped Tesla through a very tough time. “Presumably, the DOE will be concentrating more on its primary mission to build and maintain nuclear weapons and not get distracted by this green stuff,” the reader wrote.
It’s a great point, and we have neglected to write much about it. Earlier this year, the Trump administration paused any disbursements from the loan program, and it is reportedly looking to rework the program to support fossil fuel industries. This program has been used extensively for supporting early-stage cleantech companies, including Tesla back at a critical time in its development. It’s questionable if Tesla would have survived and ever produced mass-market electric cars if it wasn’t for the $465 million loan the company received back in January 2010.
This comment followed my article about Donald Trump wanting to kill the California Clean Air Act waiver that allows the state to require higher average fuel economy for cars sold in the state.
Another commenter was a bit more expansive and blunt about the Trump administration’s widespread attacks on clean technologies and the idiocy of it all. Mike Shurtleff wrote:
Of course the Orange Idiot wants to kill a pro-EV policy. Same as he wants to kill solar PV, wind, and battery production. He proposed at least two federal budgets cutting both the ITC and PTC during his 1st term. Back then Republicans in Red states on the Great Plains were benefitting from lower cost wind-generated electricity and prevented those cuts. There were “guardrails” then. There are none now.
We’re talking about a complete business moron, who blew threw most of his Daddy’s real-estate empire. He was responsible for multiple bankruptcies. He failed to make a freaking casino profitable. Casinos are just money generating machines.
… So the Chinese said they would take market share in the auto industry during the transition to EVs that was coming. … AND THEY ARE … BIG TIME … but the Orange Idiot wants to eliminate any progress Biden made in battery/EV production in the USA. Brilliant!!!
Coal has been losing out to natural gas for more than a decade, because natural gas generated electricity COSTS LESS. Now most new electricity generation in the USA is wind and solar PV, because they COST EVEN LESS than natural gas. The Orange Idiot tried to mandate more coal in his first term, because coal was more reliable, but the conservative FERC said “more reliable” was a falsehood and killed the mandate … so now he wants to subsidize coal-generated electricity. He wants to subsidize a centuries-old source of electricity, which can no longer compete in a free market on cost. That’s real business genius, that is!!! Dude! Lower cost is what wins in the market!!! Higher cost fails!!! … And there is no question, in spite of all the fossil fueled headwinds, that wind, solar PV, and battery storage are growing! They are winning! Pretty tough concept for a business genius like Chump.
Who voted for this imbecile anyway?
… I could rail on about tariffs leading to inflation and market collapse … or random massive firings of government workers with no transition plan to smaller, more effective government, or transition plan for private employment of those people … or about violation of laws and the “inalienable rights” of USA citizens … or about the complete clown car of White House appointees …but that’s enough for now.
Why isn’t Pete Hegseth in chains already for security violations? I would have been for less than he has done.
Yes Chump, go ahead and subsidize coal, go ahead and kill battery/EV production in the USA, fire all federal workers, put huge tariffs on all imports but give no incentives or time for USA production. Here’s some more rope from me. Hang yourself. Idiot!
Sorry, guess that was not enough.
Indeed.
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