Politics

Solyndra: Energy Dept. pushed firm to keep layoffs quiet until after midterms

Christopher Bedford Senior Editor, The Daily Caller
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The Obama administration urged officers of the struggling solar company Solyndra to postpone announcing planned layoffs until after the November 2010 midterm elections, newly released e-mails show.

Solyndra, the now-shuttered California company, had been a poster child of President Obama’s initiative to invest in clean energies and received the administration’s first energy loan of $535 million. But a year ago, in October 2010, the solar panel manufacturer was quickly running out of money and had warned the Energy Department it would need emergency cash to avoid having to shut down.

The new e-mails about the layoff announcement were released Tuesdaymorning as part of a House Energy and Commerce committee memo, provided in advance of Energy Secretary Steven Chu’sscheduled testimony before the investigative committee Thursday.

Full Story: Solyndra: Energy Dept. pushed firm to keep layoffs quiet until after midterms