US House of Representatives committee passes bill

A key US House of Representatives committee adopted a bill to ban future loan guarantees after a string of bankruptcies among government-supported renewable energy projects.

By a vote of 29-19, the House energy and commerce committee approved the No More Solyndras Act, which would prohibit the Department of Energy (DOE) from issuing any loan guarantees for applications submitted after 31 December 2011. Projects submitted prior to that deadline would remain eligible, but would be subject to strict conditions, including increased due diligence, new transparency requirements and a ban on subordination of US taxpayer dollars to any other financing.

House of Representatives passes bill to choke off Energy Department financing

Republicans in the House of Representatives quietly passed 13 provisions last week that would choke off Energy Department financing for existing clean energy and efficiency programs.

The House adopted the amendments on June 6 as part of its 2013 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. The proposed cuts reflect a broader trend. As the Tea Party reshapes the GOP, opposition to policies that reduce climate-changing gases and stoke the clean energy economy is soaring.