NUTS?… Obama to Promote His Failed Green Energy Agenda at Solar Plant That Employs 5 People & Cost $54 Million in Taxpayer Cash

Posted by Jim Hoft - Gateway Pundit
March 21, 2012, 5:09 AM

Obama keeps doubling down no matter what it costs us.

Barack Obama will promote his failed energy policy today at a Nevada solar plant that employs only 5 full-time employees and cost taxpayers $54 million. That comes out to $10.8 million in tax-dollar subsidies per employee. Obama will tout this as a success story.

It’s an Obama world.

Copper Mountain Solar 1 is a 48MW photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant located in Boulder City, Nevada. Image courtesy of First Solar.

The Nevada Journal reported:

President Obama will tout investments in “renewable” energy Wednesday at the local Copper Mountain Solar 1 plant, although the plant has only five full-time employees.

The plant, owned by San Diego-based energy company Sempra, was built in late 2010 at a cost of $141 million. Funding included $42 million in federal-government tax credits and $12 million in tax-rebate commitments from the state of Nevada.

Construction of the plant involved over 300 part-time jobs, but currently only five full-time employees operate the plant, a Sempra spokeswoman confirmed. That comes out to $10.8 million in tax-dollar subsidies per employee.

Solar 1 is the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the country and is regarded as a “revenue generator” by Sempra. According to the Las Vegas Sun, Boulder City expects to receive over $60 million in lease revenue from the plant.

Boulder City Manager Vicki Mayes, however, told Nevada Journal the $60 million was “highly inaccurate” and that the total lease revenue will be “much less.”

Increasing green-energy production has been one of President Obama’s main goals since he took office. Politicians such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and officials including Secretary of Energy Steven Chu have zealously encouraged green-energy subsidies in Nevada.

In addition to wanting to create many new jobs, President Obama has claimed green-energy investment will decrease America’s energy costs and reduce the country’s dependency on foreign oil.

In Boulder City, however, renewables have produced no lower energy costs. Instead, in late 2009, the city approved a 35 percent rate hike, while power generated by Copper Mountain is to go to Southern California — rather than serve Nevadans whose taxes helped finance the plant.

It is truly frightening the way this far left president gets stuck on a failed idea and can’t let it go.