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Google's Lease of NASA Airfield Criticized By Consumer Group

Posted by samzenpus on from the no-sir-I-don't-like-it dept.

Spy Handler writes Yesterday's announcement that Google will lease Moffett Field from NASA for 60 years drew criticism from a group called Consumer Watchdog, which stated "This is like giving the keys to your car to the guy who has been siphoning gas from your tank. It is unfairly rewarding unethical and wrongful behavior. These Google guys seem to think they can do whatever they want and get away with it – and, sadly, it looks like that is true.”

4 of 138 comments (clear)

  1. Re:what? by i+kan+reed · · Score: 4, Informative

    They allege, and I don't know how rightly, that all of the following are true:

    1. Google has received a discounted rate on jet fuel from NASA.
    2. This means that Google is underpaying on the lease since they'll get their jet fuel cheap???????

    The problem with that logic, which the group acknowledges and, in spite of that, persists is that NASA doesn't actually take a loss on the fuel they sell Google.

  2. Re:Two links by Spy+Handler · · Score: 4, Informative

    Submitter here. I only linked one article (the parabolicarc.com one). The editor added the second CNBC article (which I didn't know about). To be honest, the CNBC article has more info so it wasn't a bad call. Maybe what they should've done is replace my link with the CNBC link, or just reject my submission and write a new one.

  3. Consumer Watchdog by jratcliffe · · Score: 4, Informative

    The group clearly has a bee in their bonnet about Google. Pretty much every month, they put out a big press release attacking something the company does.

    http://insidegoogle.com/

  4. Re:what? by Trongy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Google didn't steal. NASA didn't sell the fuel
    NASA is a government agency and doesn't have to pay taxes and levies that the private sector does.
    The fuel was supplied by DLA-Energy (Defense Logistics Agency), not NASA. The fuel was purchased by H211, a company owned by the top Google people.
    DLA-Energy can sell the fuel, but they should collect the tax when they do.
    There was confusion because H211 was flying some missions on behalf of NASA, for which they were entitled to tax free fuel.
    [The inspector general] 'Martin attributed the discount to a “misunderstanding” between personnel at the airfield and the fuel supplier “rather than intentional misconduct. DLA-Energy misunderstood that H211 was drawing fuel for both private and NASA-related missions.'

    Balanced article about the situation:
    http://www.businessweek.com/ar...