Quote of the Day: KP’s Ray Lane on Gov. Romney, Fisker and Tesla

Ray Lane of KPCB responds to Romney attack.

Governor Romney had some choice words for President Obama and his renewable energy efforts in last week's debate. Here's a transcript of Romney's remarks:

And -- and in one year, you provided $90 billion in breaks to the green energy world. Now, I like green energy as well, but that's about 50 years' worth of what oil and gas receives, and you say Exxon and Mobil -- actually, this $2.8 billion goes largely to small companies, to drilling operators and so forth.

But you know, if we get that tax rate from 35 percent down to 25 percent, why, that $2.8 billion is on the table. Of course it's on the table. That's probably not going to survive, you get that rate down to 25 percent.

But -- but don't forget, you put $90 billion -- like 50 years' worth of breaks -- into solar and wind, to -- to Solyndra and Fisker and Tesla and Ener1. I mean, I -- I had a friend who said, you don't just pick the winners and losers; you pick the losers. All right? So -- so this is not -- this is not the kind of policy you want to have if you want to get America energy-secure.

 

Ray Lane, a partner at VC Kleiner Perkins, an investor in Fisker and board member of the firm, had this comment on lumping Fisker and Tesla in with Solyndra, in a quote from First State Politics:

Each company have [sic] produced great products, 2,000 jobs and are the first new automotive companies in 50 years. While the rest of the world admires this achievement, only an American businessman turned politician could attack this success. Write about the hard-working entrepreneurs, not the politicians. Let's celebrate Henrik Fisker and Elon Musk, not criticize them.”



Lane also said that Romney “inflated $500 million lost by Solyndra (one company) to $90 billion of TARP money, a massive leap of logic and corruption of facts.”



 

Greentech Media has done its own fact-checking of Governor Romney's debate claims here.