Joel Hefley: “the Department of Energy recently hosted a flea market. They sold 23 trucks worth $448,000 for 17 cents each, a $9,000…”

“the Department of Energy recently hosted a flea market. They sold 23 trucks worth $448,000 for 17 cents each, a $9,000 copier for a nickel, and a drilling rig for $50,000. The sales also included motor homes, laboratory equipment, and cranes. The sales were made under a Federal program intended to promote economic development in communities around Energy Department sites by selling surplus property to nonprofit organizations. But they sold all of this property to one single organization, the NTS Development Corporation of Las Vegas, which bought the drilling rig, paid a subcontractor $71,000 to inspect and clean it, and then sold the rig for $248,000 to an equipment broker in Texas. The equipment broker now has the rig listed for sale for $3.9 million. While it is certainly a worthwhile endeavor for the Energy Department to promote its host communities, it is an appalling lack of judgment to sell pieces of equipment for millions of dollars below market value. The Department of Energy gets my 'Porker of the Week' Award.”