claim: Solyndra is an example of “crony capitalism.”

fact: Despite months of investigations, there is no evidence of political favoritism in the Solyndra loan guarantee process.

  1. A Washington Post analysis found that “The [email] records do not establish that anyone pressured the Energy Department to approve the Solyndra loan to benefit political contributors.” (http://wapo.st/twg2ug)
  2. A Bloomberg Government analysis concluded that the “focus on Solyndra is not proportional to its impact.” (http://bit.ly/rCXgZP)
  3. Loan guarantees have a long history in the United States, and have been used to support many of America’s critical industries, including housing, transportation and agriculture. (http://bit.ly/uV14lf)

To learn more, see our Energy Issues pages on Jobs, Cost and Deployment.

claim: The American people – other than liberals – don’t support clean, renewable energy.

fact: Polls and the history of key polices show broad, bipartisan support for clean energy in the United States.

  1. Traditional swing voters in the industrial Midwest and South support clean energy and believe it will help drive economy growth and economic competitiveness. (Source: Third Way, http://bit.ly/yqHpYa)
  2. Two in three Americans believes that Congress should extend key tax incentives that encourage the production of renewable energy. (Source: National Journal / United Technologies, http://bit.ly/KRLSzx)
  3. A number of Republican elected officials are strong advocates for the U.S. wind industry and the Production Tax Credit (PTC). This includes: Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, and Rep. Steve King. (Source: Politico, http://politi.co/I7MyAV) Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is often called the “father of the PTC.” (Source: American Wind Energy Association, http://bit.ly/Kj0Tut)
  4. Many Republican Members of Congress expressed support for federal clean energy grants, loans and other subsidies before the Solyndra bankruptcy. (Source: Center for American Progress, http://bit.ly/ozimq2)
  5. The DOE Loan Guarantee Program was created with bipartisan support under the George W. Bush administration and designed to provide government support for “innovative technologies.” (Source: CNN, http://cnnmon.ie/LBryTy)
  6. The PTC and ITC were both enhanced and extended under the Bush administration with broad bipartisan support, and were intended to encourage private investment in renewable energy. (Sources: Stoel Rives, http://bit.ly/KXzFMq and Barron’s, http://on.barrons.com/L5OV8n).

To learn more, see our Energy Issues pages on Jobs and Deployment.