Patrick: Evergreen Should Return Money To Mass.

BOSTON (AP) - Gov. Deval Patrick says Evergreen Solar should return some of the money it got from the state to build a factory that the company recently closed.

During his monthly appearance Thursday on WTKK-FM, the governor also criticized the chief executive of Evergreen for his comments to a legislative committee this week. Michael El-Hillow told the panel his company didn't intend to return any of the more than $20 million in direct grants it received from the state.

Patrick said El-Hillow was not the CEO of Evergreen and was "out of the loop" at the time the deal with Massachusetts was struck.

The governor also said Thursday that while Massachusetts "just about broke even" on the Evergreen deal, the factory closing was a blow, and not the commitment the company made.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)