{"id":2095202,"date":"2023-11-09T13:33:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T18:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senator-ramps-up-scrutiny-of-political-influence-at-department-of-energy-in-wake-of-free-beacon-report\/"},"modified":"2023-11-09T13:35:11","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T18:35:11","slug":"senator-ramps-up-scrutiny-of-political-influence-at-department-of-energy-in-wake-of-free-beacon-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senator-ramps-up-scrutiny-of-political-influence-at-department-of-energy-in-wake-of-free-beacon-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Senator Ramps Up Scrutiny of &#8216;Political Influence&#8217; at Department of Energy in Wake of Free Beacon Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsenator-ramps-up-scrutiny-of-political-influence-at-department-of-energy-in-wake-of-free-beacon-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2095202&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Sen. Barrasso Demands Ethics Review \u2062of\u2063 Loan Programs Office and Director Jigar Shah<\/h2>\n<figure><figcaption>Jigar Shah, John Barrasso (energy.gov, Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming is intensifying his investigation into the Department of Energy&#8217;s loan office,\u200b citing \u200dconcerns of &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kevin-mccarthy-calls-on-pentagon-to-restore-nsa-general-counsel-michael-ellis-to-active-service\/\" title=\"Kevin McCarthy Calls on Pentagon to Restore NSA General Counsel Michael Ellis to Active Service\">undue political influence<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Barrasso, the leading Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has\u2064 written\u200d a <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/11.8.2023-Letter-to-DOEs-lead-ethics-official-re-LPO-Directors-potential-ethics-violations.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">letter<\/a> urging\u2063 DOE counsel Susan Beard to conduct an ethics review of the Loan Programs Office and its director, Jigar Shah.<\/p>\n<p>This action follows a report by the <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em> that revealed Shah&#8217;s questionable ties to a trade association he founded. The Cleantech \u2062Leaders Roundtable, \u2063which Shah previously led, has been acting as a gatekeeper for companies seeking loans from him.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Shah&#8217;s office approved a $3 billion loan for Sunnova, a solar company that shares a board member with the Cleantech Leaders Roundtable.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The potential conflicts of interest,\u2064 particularly in light of the $3 billion loan approval for \u200bSunnova, a company connected to Cleantech Leaders Roundtable, cannot be ignored,&#8221; expressed Barrasso.<\/p>\n<p>Barrasso also\u200d highlighted the fact that\u200d Anne Slaughter Andrew, a board member of both \u200bSunnova and Cleantech Leaders, is married \u200cto former \u2063Democratic National Committee chairman Joe Andrew. This raises concerns about potential political influence.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The \u2063intertwining of personal,\u2062 political, and professional relationships raises \u2063further doubts about the fairness of loan approvals and the susceptibility of the \u2064process to undue political influence,&#8221; Barrasso emphasized.<\/p>\n<p>Barrasso\u2063 also expressed concern about discrepancies between Shah&#8217;s testimony to the committee and a profile on him published by the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em>. While \u200dShah claimed to have no \u200drole in selecting loan recipients during his testimony, the <em>Journal<\/em> profile indicated that he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senator-ramps-up-scrutiny-of-political-influence-at-department-of-energy-in-wake-of-free-beacon-report\/\" title=\"Senator Ramps Up Scrutiny of 'Political Influence' at Department of Energy in Wake of Free Beacon Report\">actively courted\u2062 specific companies<\/a> for the loan program.<\/p>\n<p>One of the companies Shah recruited, Li-Cycle Holdings, received a $375 million loan from the Loan Programs Office\u200c to \u2064construct a battery facility. According to the <em>Journal<\/em>, Shah convinced the CEO of\u2062 Li-Cycle to \u200daccept the federal loan, despite the CEO&#8217;s\u2063 initial reluctance.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, Li-Cycle had to halt construction of\u2064 the plant due to\u2063 financial difficulties.<\/p>\n<p>Barrasso has requested an &#8220;ethics review of Mr. Shah&#8217;s relationship with Cleantech Leaders\u2062 Roundtable, as well\u200c as other external organizations&#8221; \u2064from Beard. He \u200chas also asked for documents related to Shah&#8217;s compliance \u2062with the Biden administration&#8217;s ethics pledge, which prohibits officials from working \u200bwith former employers for two\u200b years \u200cafter joining the administration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What companies have received approved loans from Fice that \u2064are tied to the roundtable, and what \u200bpotential conflicts of interest could arise from this?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Fice has \u2063approved loans to several companies that\u200d have ties to the roundtable, raising concerns of \u200ca potential conflict \u200bof interest. The report also highlighted Shah&#8217;s involvement in a controversial loan to a solar company that eventually went bankrupt, resulting in a \u2062loss of taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n<p>In his letter, Sen. Barrasso \u2063expresses his concern over these revelations\u2062 and emphasizes the need for\u2064 a thorough ethics\u200b review of the Loan Programs Office. He states that the potential ethics\u2064 violations warrant an\u2063 investigation to ensure the integrity and fairness of\u200b the loan approval \u200bprocess.<\/p>\n<p>The senator argues that political influence should never play a role in the decision-making process regarding federal loans. He asserts that loans should be awarded based on the merit and viability of the projects, not\u2062 personal relationships\u200c or associations.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Sen. Barrasso highlights the importance of transparency and accountability \u2064in the loan \u2063office. He calls for \u200ba comprehensive review of the \u2064loan approval process, including the \u200bdisclosure of any conflicts of\u200d interest and the establishment of safeguards\u2063 to prevent undue political influence in the future.<\/p>\n<p>This move by Sen. Barrasso reflects growing concerns among\u200b lawmakers regarding the potential misuse of federal\u2062 funds and\u200c the \u200dneed to \u200censure that taxpayer dollars are \u2064allocated responsibly and ethically.\u200d It also\u2062 underscores the importance \u200bof\u2064 maintaining the \u200bpublic&#8217;s trust in government institutions.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Energy \u2064has not yet\u200b responded publicly\u200c to Sen. Barrasso&#8217;s letter. However, the senator has \u2063stated that he expects a prompt and thorough investigation into the\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-dark-money-critic-sheldon-whitehouse-has-deep-ties-to-secret-donor-world\/\" title=\"Sheldon Whitehouse, a critic of Democratic 'dark money,' has strong connections to secret donors.\">alleged ethics \u200dviolations<\/a>.\u200b He believes that holding individuals accountable for any wrongdoing and implementing necessary reforms will\u200c help restore confidence\u2062 in \u2064the loan office.<\/p>\n<p>As the leading Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Barrasso has a crucial role in overseeing the Department of Energy&#8217;s activities and ensuring the \u2063responsible management of federal resources. His \u200dcall for an ethics review underscores \u200chis commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and \u2063ethics in\u200c government.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the outcome of this investigation will have \u2064significant implications for the \u2064Loan Programs Office and its director, Jigar Shah. It will determine whether the office can\u2064 continue to operate with the public&#8217;s \u200bconfidence and whether reforms \u2064are \u2063needed to prevent\u200c future ethics breaches.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the outcome, this investigation \u200cserves as\u200b a reminder that public officials must always\u2062 act \u2064in \u2064the best interest of\u2063 the American people\u2064 and adhere \u2062to the highest ethical \u200dstandards. \u2062It also emphasizes the importance of rigorous oversight and accountability\u200b to ensure that government\u200b resources are used judiciously and\u200c responsibly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Barrasso calls for ethics review of Loan Programs Office and its director, Jigar Shah Jigar Shah, John Barrasso (energy.gov, Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images) Sen. John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) this week ramped up his investigation into &#8220;undue political influence&#8221; at the Department of Energy&#8217;s loan office. Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":2095203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2095202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2095202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2095202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2095202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2095203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2095202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2095202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2095202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}