Federal loans potentially had conflicts of interest

Topline: There is no “reasonable assurance” that Department of Energy loans are being approved impartially and without conflicts of interest, according to a Dec. 18 audit from the agency’s inspector general.

Key facts: The Loan Programs Office lends money to companies working on innovative clean energy and transportation technologies that are too risky to get a loan from a bank. As of September 2024, it had 219 federal workers and over 300 contractors managing more than $385 billion appropriated...