CCS grants paid for booze, spas, limos -- audit
Source: EE News
CCS grants paid for booze, spas, limos audit
Christa Marshall, E&E News reporter
Greenwire: Tuesday, February 13, 2018
The Department of Energy allowed millions of dollars slated for a Texas carbon capture project to be used improperly for lobbying, alcohol, travel and "social" expenses, the agency's inspector general said in an audit released today.
The watchdog found that the Office of Fossil Energy approved $38 million to be distributed to the Texas Clean Energy Project, which was never built, without adequate documentation to ensure the money was used for intended purposes. ... In one instance, more than $600,000 in consulting fees related to the project may have been charged for things such as spa services, limousines and first-class trips, auditors said.
"The issues identified occurred, in part, because Fossil Energy had not always exercised sound project and financial management practices in its oversight," the report said. (1) ... "We believe that Fossil Energy should thoroughly evaluate and address the issues and apply lessons learned to other similar projects," auditors wrote.
The Texas Clean Energy Project was one of several big carbon capture initiatives for which DOE allocated funds following President Obama's 2009 stimulus package. It envisioned a commercial coal plant near Odessa, Texas, capturing and storing more than 90 percent of its CO2 emissions. ... In 2010, DOE's Fossil Energy Office awarded TCEP a cooperative agreement under the "Clean Coal Power Initiative," with DOE expected to cover $450 million. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) helped implement the program.
....
Twitter: @christa_mars Email: cmarshall@eenews.net
https://twitter.com/christa_mars
(1) https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2018/02/f48/DOE-OIG-18-17.pdf
Read more: https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060073765
Note: the funding started in 2010. I am on a slow connection, and I can't examine the report to see when the suspect spending occurred.
You know my policy: if it's sauce for the goose, it's sauce for the gander.
Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold
Millions of taxpayer dollars allocated for a Texas "clean coal" project (which was never built) were used instead for lobbying, alcohol, catering on a private jet.
Link to tweet
