YET ANOTHER SOLYNDRA INVESTIGATION

White House Allegedly 'Shielding' Key Personnel From Solyndra Probe
Jessica Lillian, 16 February 2012 (Solar Industry)

"As the investigation into failed PV module manufacturer Solyndra hits its one-year anniversary, the lawmakers…House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Stearns…[plan to issue] subpoenas to five requested witnesses who are believed to have key information on Solyndra's $535 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

"The five individuals are Kevin Carroll, energy branch chief at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); Kelly Colyar, branch chief at the OMB; Aditya Kumar, deputy assistant to the vice president and senior advisor to then-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel; Fouad Saad, program examiner at the OMB; and Heather Zichal, deputy assistant to the president for energy and climate change."

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"Upton and Stearns insist that President Obama's administration has repeatedly hindered their committee's investigatory efforts...necessitating the issuance of the subpoenas…[They also claim] the Solyndra-related documents supplied so far have proven to be inadequate...[ Last week, the White House sent the Energy and Commerce Committee 313 pages of new internal documents and emails…Upton and Stearns believe certain crucial documents are still being withheld…[T]he committee has set a new deadline - Feb. 21 - for the Obama administration to provide all of the documents that they deem necessary]…

"…[S]pecific Solyndra-related questions that allegedly remain unanswered include…- What was the extent of the White House's involvement in the restructuring of Solyndra's DOE loan guarantee?...Who gave a directive to Solyndra to hold off on announcing job cuts until after the 2010 elections?...Why did the White House give Solyndra "so much attention," in comparison to other loan-guarantee recipients?...[and] Why did President Obama visit Solyndra's fab in May 2010, after the company's "worsening financial condition" had been made apparent?"