This piece originally appeared at Green Tape.
Over the last two weeks, outlets have begun reporting that DOGE plans to gut the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO).
I think this is bad, and that it flies in the face of the President’s energy dominance agenda. But it’s actually quite a bit more backwards than that: by pursuing cuts to the LPO, DOGE is targeting one of the only currently-existing examples of Government Efficiency.
For the unfamiliar, the LPO was established to finance large-scale, high-impact energy infrastructure projects that strengthen America's energy security and economic competitiveness. In particular, the LPO plays a critical role in financing projects that private lenders often consider too large or technically complex. These projects include the likes of the Palisades Nuclear Plant restart, the first nuclear restart in U.S. history, and the Thacker Pass project, one of the world’s largest lithium mines. (Ironically, LPO also counts an early loan to Tesla among its more high-profile investments.)
Continue reading at Green Tape.
