California Green Jobs “Bite the Green Dust”

As Californians began their day September 1, 2011,  a solar panel company in Fremont, California had plans for 1100 individuals.  That was the day Solyndra passed out pink slips and closed the doors of their northern California “green” headquarters.  The action at Solyndra immediately meant one third of solar jobs in the entire San Francsico Bay area were gone.

So do those “green” subsidies work?  Obviously, some politicians thought so as they toured Solyndra’s plant about fifteen months ago. As Senator Boxer and President Obama rhapsodized about this renewable energy investment.  Obama boasted about all the dollars the government wisely invested.  “Through the Recovery Act, this company received a loan to expand its operations,” Obama said at the time.  “This new factory is the result of those loans.”  He assured everyone that companies like Solyndra were going to create thousands of new “green” jobs.  Gosh, feel better yet??

Then there are the investments in Solyndra made by venture capitalists to the tune of $1.1 billion.  Yes, that is in addition to the “fast tracked” $535 million for the solar panel company.   Among the biggest losers, heirs to the Sam Walton/Wal-Mart fortune, Richard Branson founder of Virgin Atlantic and George Kaiser, mega millionaire and 2008 Obama campaign bundler.

Since the President toured Solyndra in May of 2010, solar production plants in operation across the nation have begun a  string of bankruptcy falls.   First, BP Solar in Maryland.  Then came Spectra Watt in N.Y. and Evergreen in Massachusetts closing their doors.  Many observers who watched nations in Europe invest mega bucks to produce mega-watts of solar, wind and other alternative energy projects implode, began to question the wisdom of continued federal and state investments into this technology. And now the same question is being raised by private investors.

But not to worry if you live in California!  Just one day before  Solyndra’s “green” death, the Governor traveled to Las Vegas to join Senator Harry Reid at the National Clean Energy Summit 4.0.  There, Governor Brown doubled down with his “green agenda”, taunting his plan to boost renewable energy production and encourage energy efficiency.

But wait….the best from all of this is Brown’s assurance of more than half a million jobs by 2020.  To help the Governor, State Senate Leader, Ellen Corbett (whose district includes the home of Solyndra) introduced SB 134 giving solar plants “bid preferences”.   What lengths some will take to prove something not working will….no matter how much money or legislation you throw at it!