Energy stimulus programs are like "attaching a lawn mower to a fire hydrant"

See Waste cited in energy stimulus program, 11-2-11, by CAROLYN LOCHHEAD of the San Francisco Chronicle. Excerpts:

"The Department of Energy's Inspector General said Wednesday that the 2009 stimulus program for green energy was so at odds with the realities on the ground that it was akin to "attaching a lawn mower to a fire hydrant.""

"...weatherization programs of such shoddy quality that more than half of those audited failed inspection because of substandard workmanship."

"... problems also plagued training programs for green jobs that were allocated nearly $500 million. Of the roughly 125,000 workers targeted for training, only 40 percent received it and only 8,035 participants landed jobs."

"... there is no difference between a plumber who installs a water-saving, low-flow toilet and a plumber who installs a standard toilet, other than the government's definition of the first job as green."

"..."in reality, few actual 'shovel ready' projects existed,"..."

"...as late as last month, 45 percent of the stimulus funds had not been spent."

:...bureaucratic hurdles such as the "literally thousands" of state and local officials, contractors and others involved."

"...the Energy Department "now confronts the unpleasant task of laying off significant numbers of the contractor workforce, many of whom had just recently been hired.""

"W. David Montgomery, a former official at the Congressional Budget Office and Energy Department who taught economics at Stanford University and the California Institute of Technology, said that trying to promote clean energy as a jobs program was misguided."

"..."loan guarantees such as the kind that Solyndra received "will amount to nothing more than pushing on a string," because there will be little market demand for alternative energy."