Excerpts from POLITICO
By Darren Samuelsohn
“Solyndra's top executive strategized with the Obama administration in October 2010 as the California solar company prepared to shut down an older plant and lay off nearly 200 employees, new internal emails show.
“CEO and President Brian Harrison flagged the company's bad news to a top DOE loan guarantee official in an October 25, 2010 email. The warning worked its way up the chain of command, ultimately reaching President Barack Obama's top energy and climate adviser, Carol Browner.
"‘Solyndra has received some press inquiries about rumors of problems (one of them with quite accurate information) and we have received in-bound calls from potential financial investors,’ Harrison wrote to Frances Nwachuku, the director of the portfolio management at DOE.
"‘It is our view inside Solyndra that while not desirable from DOE perspective we need to internally announce to employees and with one selected press member’…Harrison added. ‘It is our belief that it is better for all parties to get in front of the story and control the messaging rather than get behind the story and on the defensive… I would like to go forward with the internal communication…There will be no mention of the DOE.
“Nwachuku forwarded Harrison's email to the head of the DOE loan guarantee program, Jonathan Silver, who then kicked it up to Rod O'Connor, then Chu's chief of staff, and deputy chief of staff Brandon Hurlbut. A day later, O'Connor sent Harrison’s email to Vice President Joe Biden's chief of staff as well as Browner and her top deputy, Heather Zichal.
"Media reported that Solyndra was announcing plans to shut its first factory, called Fab 1, to save $60 million in capital expenditures. The company also would lay off about 40 employees and not renew contracts for about 150 temporary workers… (Read more)
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