Enron vet turns up in $737m solar loan guarantee

byJoel Gehrke Commentary Staff Writer
Follow on Twitter:@jsgehrkejr

President Obama's Solyndra scandal drew comparisons to the Enron scandal of the Bush era, but the Department of Energy's latest $737 million loan guarantee for the solar energy company Tonopah Solar involves a veteran of Enron Corp.

Tom Georgis serves as Senior Vice President of Development for Solar Reserve, the parent company of Tonopah Solar (the Tonopah Solar email address even routes to a Solar Reserve account). According to the Solar Reserve biography for Georgis, he has worked in the energy sector for 20 years, including a stint as "a manager at Enron Corp. where he was responsible for developing and structuring energy asset projects internationally; negotiating and closing over 500 MW of power generation agreements."

Of course, to have worked for Enron does not mean Georgis is a crook. In fact, he has the very honorable distinction of also having "served nine years as a Naval Special Warfare Officer in the United States Navy." But the trivia is certainly interesting, given President Obama's recent history with Solyndra.