Biden-Harris admin sent ‘environmental justice’ cash to left-wing activists, House report details – IJR

The House Energy and Commerce Committee released a new report Monday detailing how the Biden-Harris administration funneled vast sums of taxpayer cash 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 from Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — President Joe Biden’s climate signature — to line the pockets of left-wing activist groups that support the administration’s sprawling climate and green energy agenda. Using taxpayer dollars to support these activist groups, some of which already receive significant financial support from major conservation organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Energy Fund, may be “akin to a taxpayer-funded lobbying operation,” the lawmakers said. in the report

“Lists of organizations selected to receive funding or partner with these organizations include environmental activist organizations that work to influence the public and elected officials to embrace their often extreme views, such as a complete divestment of fossil fuels, which Americans recognize as important is part of the entire energy complex listed above,” the report says. “While some of the organizations selected include other types of organizations, such as institutions of higher education, many are non-profit environmental special interest organizations. The views and missions of these organizations often coincide with those of the administration, effectively using taxpayer dollars to advance the radical Biden-Harris energy agenda.”

E+C EJ REPORT by Nick Pope on Scribd

A new report highlights several cases of hard-line groups receiving taxpayer cash in the name of “environmental justice,” such as the $50 million received from the Climate Justice Alliance. The Climate Justice Alliance has called for an end to fossil fuels and nuclear power, and the group has also advocated for the Palestinians since the October 2023 war between Israel and Hamas.

Other EPA award winners or partner organizations involved in the agency’s “environmental justice” programs that the committee characterizes as “alarming” include WE WORK for environmental justiceSouthern Center for Environmental Law and New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justicein part because each organization was involved in trying to influence officials or policy.

In addition, the EPA’s use of “pass-through” grantmakers to administer several of its key “environmental justice” programs, as well as the tight timelines within which the agency must work to allocate most of the available funding, also increase the risk for waste, fraud, and abuse, the committee writes in the report.

“It couldn’t be clearer: the Biden-Harris administration is rewarding its special environmental interests at the expense of the American people. As part of its sweeping ‘rush to green’ program, the administration has given hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to activists who are also politically active,” said Reps. Cathy McMorris Rogers of Washington, Morgan Griffith of Virginia and Buddy Carter of Georgia. in a joint statement. “Democrats in Congress gave him the power to push through legislation designed to get money out the door as quickly as possible without any safeguards against waste, fraud and abuse. Equally troubling is how this policy benefits the Chinese Communist Party, the world’s biggest environmental polluter.”

The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.