So much for the federal commitment to end oil addiction

Thursday, February 15, 2007

It would be funny if it weren't so pathetic!

Federal Staffing Shortage Holds Up World's First Cellulose Ethanol Plant
2/15/2007 6:25:00 AM
(C) 2007 Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.. All Rights Reserved

WASHINGTON - All that's standing between the United States and the world's first cellulose ethanol plant is an obscure Washington office staffed by one federal contractor.

The office in the U.S. Department of Energy opened last summer to provide federal loan guarantees for producing clean energy and innovative technologies.

However, its sole employee hasn't been able to do more than literally open the mail. More than 100 so-called pre-applications for loan guarantees have arrived, only to be shelved because the Department of Energy hasn't had the money to hire more staff to assess them.

Read the full story.