Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) is accusing Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm of trading influence for cash with Chris Smith, Ford’s Top Lobbyist. Barasso said of his investigation. “The totality of these circumstances amounts to, at the very least, the appearance of an undue influence by Ford on the Department of Energy. The Department must be guided by a spirit of impartiality and competition as it allocates hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer funds.”
From foxbanger.com:
On June 22, nearly three months after Smith was joined the SEAB, the DOE’s Loan Programs Office, which oversees hundreds of billions of dollars in energy program funding, announced a $9.2 billion loan for BlueOval SK, a joint venture between Ford and South Korean battery manufacturer SK On founded to supply Ford with batteries for its electric vehicle business.
DOE said in its June announcement that the loan would help fund the construction of three manufacturing plants in Tennessee and Kentucky. The facilities will produce batteries for future Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles.
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