28 May 2009 Outrage of the Day: Obama’s Solar Powered Dishonesty

Speaking Wednesday at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, President Obama bragged that a federal-government owned solar electric plant at the base saves taxpayers $1 million a year:

…right now, we’re standing near the largest solar electric plant of its kind in the entire Western Hemisphere — the entire Western Hemisphere. More than 72,000 solar panels built on part of an old landfill provide 25 percent of the electricity for the 12,000 people who live and work here at Nellis. That’s the equivalent of powering about 13,200 homes during the day.It’s a project that took about half a year to complete, created 200 jobs, and will save the United States Air Force, which is the largest consumer of energy in the federal government, nearly $1 million — $1 million a year.

My first thought: But what did it cost to build?

Courtesy of DRJ at Patterico, we have an answer: Over $100 million.

The plant opened 18 months ago, so President Obama’s statement won’t be true for 97 1/2 years.

Assuming no tax funds are spent on maintenance by then.

The only positive thing I can say here is that the President’s statement probably wasn’t technically a lie, because he most likely literally had no idea what he was talking about.

But what’s his staff’s excuse?