by Nick Pope
The House Energy and Commerce Committee released a modern report Monday detailing how the Biden-Harris administration has given expansive amounts of taxpayer money to left-wing activist groups under the guise of “environmental justice.”
The report highlights how the Biden-Harris Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has used hundreds of millions of dollars in… Act on reducing inflation (IRA) – President Joe Biden’s signature climate bill – designed to line the pockets of leftist activist groups working with the administration’s extensive climate and green energy programs. Using taxpayer funds to support these activist groups, some of which have already received significant financial support from gigantic environmental organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Energy Foundation, likely “resembles a taxpayer-funded lobbying operation,” lawmakers argue in the report.
“The lists of organizations selected to receive funding or work with these organizations include environmental activist organizations that seek to influence public and elected officials to adopt their often extreme views, such as the complete elimination of the use of fossil fuels, which Americans consider as an important part of the above energy mix,” the report states. “While some of the selected organizations include other types of entities, such as higher education institutions, many are special interest and environmental nonprofit organizations. The views and missions of these organizations often align with those of the administration, in effect using taxpayer dollars to promote the radical Biden-Harris energy agenda.”
The modern report highlights several cases where hardline groups received taxpayer money in the name of “environmental justice,” such as the $50 million received from the Climate Justice Alliance. The Climate Justice Alliance called for the abolition of fossil fuels and nuclear energy, and the group also advocated for the Palestinians after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023.
“All eligible applications submitted for EPA funding undergo a rigorous competitive process. “EPA takes program integrity very seriously and will continue to advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s environmental justice goals in a robust and transparent manner,” an EPA spokesman told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “EPA has many safeguards in place to ensure that grant activities are fully consistent with the grant obligations and regulations that Congress has directed EPA to implement.”
Other EPA award winners or partner organizations involved in the agency’s “environmental justice” programs that the committee described as “concerning” include: WE ACT for environmental justiceSouthern Environmental Law Center i New Jersey Immigrant Justice Alliancein part because each organization participated in efforts to influence officials or policies.
Moreover, EPA’s utilize of pass-thru grantmakers to administer several key “environmental justice” programs, as well as the tight time frames in which the agency must work to commit most of its available funds, also raise the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse. – the commission wrote in its report.
“It couldn’t be more clear: the Biden-Harris administration is rewarding its special environmental interests at the expense of the American people. “As part of its radical green drive agenda, the administration has given hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to activists who also engage in political activities,” said Republican Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Morgan Griffith of Virginia and Buddy Carter of Georgia. in a joint statement. “It was authorized to do so by Democrats in Congress, who pushed through legislation designed to get money out the door as quickly as possible, with no safeguards against waste, fraud and abuse. Equally alarming are the benefits these policies bring to the Chinese Communist Party, the world’s worst polluter.”
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Nick Pope is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Climate Justice Alliance” photo by Climate Justice Alliance.
