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Dear Gas Companies: Replenish Our Slush Fund
Among PennFuture’s justifications for demanding a natural gas tax, as Katrina mentioned earlier, is that Pennsylvania’s “Growing Greener” funding “has all been spent.” Since the program has nothing to do with the natural gas industry, why does PF president Jan Jarrett make the connection? Easy: It’s been a generous government slush fund that has funded both their own projects and those of the alternative energy industry clients they lobby for — and one in particular.
Consider, Growing Greener has funded via the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority:
- A $348,000 solar project to PennFuture and its client Community Energy located at the desperately-in-need-of-corporate-welfare Turkey Hill Dairy
- A $1 million loan for a wind energy project in Luzerne County for PennFuture lobbying client Community Energy
- A $1 million grant for a solar photovoltaic project in Lancaster County for PennFuture client Community Energy
In addition Growing Greener has funded millions of dollars in alternative energy boondoggles that couldn’t survive without public help, while PennFuture has taken in nearly $1 million in contributions from “Green” rent-seekers. And they expect the natural gas industry to replenish their slush fund for them.