Local workers and taxpayers are outraged by news the federal government is spending $121 million to surround the Celebrezze Federal Building in Cleveland with another layer of glass to save energy, WKYC reports.
The so-called stimulus project has created a grand total of 60 jobs.
Reporter Tom Beres said the "improvements" would save $700,000 a year in energy costs, which, if true, means the glass would pay for itself by the year 2183, 170 years from now.
The building is home to 5,500 federal workers, some of whom received budget-cut furlough days because of sequestration. They are not allowed to comment on the green project, but Beres said one employee told him off-camera it is the "biggest boondoggle ever here."
"I think this is a waste of money," said another upset citizen. "We're laying off police officers, EMS workers, but they have money for this."
Others interviewed called the project a bad investment and another reason why the government is $16 trillion in debt.
Federal buildings around the country are getting "green makeovers" as well, costing taxpayers $5.5 billion in all.
"A lot of green to go green," Beres quipped.
The Obama administration's foray into green energy has been disastrous for taxpayers since he took office in 2009.
Last week, electric car manufacturer Fisker Automotive's Bernard Koehler admitted it had produced zero cars in the U.S., despite $200 million in loans from the Department of Energy. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was pressed on why the DOE failed to suspend its loan for a full year after learning, in 2010, that Fisker was failing to meet its goals.
The collapse of government-subsidized battery manufacturer A123 Systems in October temporarily halted Fisker's production last fall.
Solyndra, the solar panel firm, received a $535-million loan in 2009 and went under two years later, and critics slammed the lost investment as crony capitalism at its worst by the Obama administration.
Solopower, a California-based solar panel company which received hundreds of million dollars in federal and state incentives, was reported in March to be struggling with production delays and layoffs.