Stimulus money pays for Chinese solar panels for federal building

[red states rule]

So much for the "green" President and more proof that the "stimulus" was a total waste of money

In the summer of 2011, the White House was struggling to save federal loan guarantee recipient Solyndra from a bankruptcy the administration would later blame on unfair competition from below-cost Chinese solar panels. How badly was the U.S. losing out to China? Well, according to a report by the inspector general of the General Services Administration, taxpayer dollars from the federal stimulus bill were used to purchase Chinese solar panels for a federal building in Illinois. This was, the IG notes, in violation of the stimulus bill’s own rules.

The IG’s report was made in a July 29, 2011, letter to the commissioners of the GSA’s Public Building Service and Federal Acquisition Service regarding “installation of photovoltaic panels on the Senator Paul Simon (Simon) Federal Building in Carbondale, Illinois. The photovoltaic panels installed in the Simon Federal Building were assembled in China.”

The IG adds: “Using these items violates provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that funded the project.” ARRA is the official acronym of the stimulus bill.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/report...rticle/2508386

[red states rule]