The man installed by President Biden to oversee the Department of Energy’s massive loan program faced a barrage of questions from GOP senators Thursday concerned about potential conflicts of interest.
Jigar H. Shah, director of DOE’s Loan Programs Office which is in the process of awarding $400 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, is the gatekeeper for companies seeking government money for new energy projects.
Mr. Shah is a co-founder of the trade association Cleantech Leaders Roundtable. Cleantech Board Director Anne Slaughter Andrew also sits on the board of solar company Sunnova, which was approved last month for a $3 billion loan from Mr. Shah’s office.
Mr. Shah has also attended several private events and dinners held by Cleantech that attendees paid to join, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
He testified to the Senate Energy Committee that he’d be “happy to distance myself from any further dinners with the Cleantech Leaders Roundtable.”
Mr. Shah also downplayed the significance of his attendance and said career officials have the ultimate say over which companies receive loans. He said he has “no role to play whatsoever.”
“My job has been to gain private sector trust, and so I’m all in on American innovators and entrepreneurs,” Mr. Shah told lawmakers. “I have spared no event or time or conference to figure out how to promote the Loan Programs Office.”
Cleantech Board Vice President Andrea Luecke has also promoted Mr. Shah’s ties to the group and the money available from his office.
Ms. Luecke wrote in a LinkedIn post last year: “Hundreds of Billions $$$$$$. We love Jigar Shah for that and also for co-founding the Cleantech Leaders Roundtable.”
Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the top Republican on the committee, accused Mr. Shah of violating “ethics 101.”
“It’s a bad look for you. It’s a bad look for the program. It’s a bad look for the secretary of energy, and it’s a bad look for the Biden administration,” Mr. Barrasso said.
Sen. Martin Heinrich, New Mexico Democrat, equated Mr. Barrasso’s line of questioning to “theater.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, also grilled Mr. Shah over his attendance at other paid industry events and conferences that require entry fees from attendees.
However, such events are common for government officials, industry leaders and members of both parties to attend, so long as they do not have direct ties.
Democrats and Mr. Shah noted that they and Republican elected officials regularly attend, for example, CERAWeek, the annual energy conference hosted by S&P Global, which runs attendees anywhere from several hundred dollars to $1,800.
“People who want to get loans from the government are paying to see you, and you think that that’s fine?” said Mr. Hawley.
“They’re not paying to see me,” Mr. Shah said. “I’m not that important.”
Mr. Shah later expanded his defense after Democratic senators noted they too attend such events like CERAWeek.
“I’m trying to figure out what access they’re paying for since I don’t make any decisions on which loans we actually underwrite or approve,” Mr. Shah said. “Having access to me is like — I’m more accessible than a ham sandwich.”
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.