Monday, February 6, 2012

Senator Lugar's Ties to Bankrupt Ener1


About two weeks before Ener1 declared bankruptcy, I blogged about Indiana Senator Dick Lugar's ties to the Indianapolis-based EnerDel. EnerDel, a subsidiary of the bankrupt Ener1, was awarded $118 million in stimulus funding. Lugar's Senate office issued a press release about a smaller DOE grant awarded to EnerDel in June of 2009:
U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar announced that EnerDel has been selected to receive one of seven cost-shared research awards from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Awardees will use the funds for the development of advanced batteries for electric drive vehicles. The total DOE investment for these projects is up to $10.96 million over three years, subject to annual appropriations.
In February of 2008, Lugar, the former mayor of Indianapolis and erstwhile inhabitant of Indiana, delivered a speech and toured the EnerDel factory. I was a little surprised that Lugar's connections to government subsidized green and alternative energy went largely un-remarked upon when the Ener1 bankruptcy was announced. Perhaps those connections deserve more scrutiny as Indiana's May 8th primary approaches.

Lugar's primary opponent, Richard Mourdock, understands that the federal government needs to stop spending tax payer dollars on frivolous projects EnerDel.


Update: Thanks to Smitty at the OtherMcCain for the link!

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