Porker of the Month

In recognition of the potfuls of taxpayer gold that have been squandered subsidizing ill-advised green energy programs, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) Porker of the Month for submitting an amendment that would have extended federal subsidies for alternative fueling stations, biofuels, refined coal, energy-efficient appliances, wind power, and similar initiatives.

Sen. Stabenow’s ultimately unsuccessful amendment exemplifies the public policy fallacy gripping the Obama administration and many lawmakers, which holds that the key to unlocking a green energy surge is simply more taxpayer money.

“The past six months have been marred by examples of the futility of picking winners in energy markets…Failures at Solyndra, Ener1, Beacon, Tesla, Amonix, Evergreen Solar, SpectraWatt, SunPower, and others make it obvious that the government has about as much chance of stumbling across a four-leaf clover as it does of being successful as a venture capitalist,” declared CAGW President Tom Schatz.

(I suppose they might have had ideas that would have worked, but they didn't have the energy....)

For attempting to compound the federal government’s costly foray into green energy investment, and doing her best to bury taxpayer greenbacks at the end of the rainbow, Sen. Stabenow is the March 2012 Porker of the Month.