House Science, Space and Technology Committee Republicans are upping their scrutiny of a Department of Energy office they believe irresponsibly lent money under the Biden administration.
In a Wednesday letter to Deputy Secretary James Danly and acting Inspector General Sarah Nelson, the Republicans requested a formal briefing with staff from the Loan Programs Office over Biden-era clean energy lending that they believe verged on illegality.
“President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 significantly expanded the LPO’s lending authority within its clean energy and climate provisions,” the Republicans, led by Chair Brian Babin (R-Texas), wrote.
They continued, “With this enlarged capacity of hundreds of billions of dollars in increased funding, the LPO, directed by Jigar Shah, lent large sums to improperly vetted candidates, likely violating its own regulations and federal law.”
