The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power has passed a draft of the No More Solyndras Act, which was introduced by Reps. Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., earlier this month.
The legislation, which passed the subcommittee by a vote of 14-6, would phase out the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) loan-guarantee program.
The latest version of the bill includes an amendment from Rep. Michael C. Burgess, R-Texas, that would ‘subject senior federal employees and federal appointees to remedial action, including suspension without pay and removal, for violations of any requirements of the Title XVII loan-guarantee program,’ according to the committee's Republican leadership.
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) continues to oppose the bill and, in response to the subcommittee's passage of the bill, re-emphasized the positive aspects of the loan-guarantee program.
"The loan-guarantee program has yielded notable successes," SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch said in a statement." In solar alone, the program is providing crucial financing to support the construction of 11 utility-scale solar power plants in the Southwest that will produce 2,700 MW of safe, clean power – enough to power 630,000 homes.
"The provision in the discussion draft that sunsets DOE's loan program would hinder our nation's ability to develop innovative energy infrastructure projects," he added.
The measure now moves to the full committee, which could consider the legislation as early as next week. More information on the No More Solyndras Act is available here.
