U.S. Geothermal, Inc., received a loan guarantee from the Department of Energy (DOE) through the same program that funded Solyndra, but that’s not the company’s only source of DOE funding.

One of their directors, Dr. Leland Mink, has by turns worked for both the Energy Department and U.S. Geothermal. According to Mink’s biography on the U.S. Geothermal website, served as “Program Director for the Geothermal Technologies Program, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)” after leaving his position as Vice President of Exploration for U.S. Geothermal. He reportedly held that vice presidency from June 2002 to February 2003, but resigned to work for DOE from February 2003 to October 2006. After retiring from the Department of Energy, he took a position as an independent member of the U.S. Geothermal Board of Directors, starting in November 2006.