The Biden-Harris administration is being put on blast for giving billions of taxpayer dollars to fund “radical, left-leaning” environmental groups that seek to eradicate fossil fuels, according to a new House report.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee dropped a report “exposing the green group giveaway” by the Biden administration on Monday, breaking down the Environmental Protection Agency’s funding for environmental and climate justice grants.
The EPA received $41 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. The agency allocated $2.8 billion from the funds to be managed by the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), which, according to the report, is “using taxpayer dollars to promote the Biden-Harris radical energy agenda.”
“The Biden-Harris administration is seemingly using environmental justice grants to funnel public funds towards organizations that promote its policies and galvanize political support for its actions,” the report reads. “Enriching nonprofit organizations to spread radical, left-leaning ideology is an inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars. These programs demand rigorous scrutiny and meticulous oversight.”
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EPA Administrator Michael Regan speaks during an event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Oct. 8, 2024. (Mandel Ngan)
The EPA reportedly funneled the money out to several different environmental groups actively advocating for a rapid transition to green energy.
About $50 million was awarded to the Climate Justice Alliance, a group which has called for ending the use of fossil fuels. The group is “engaged in local, state and national work on a wide range of issues from racial justice, energy democracy, food sovereignty, and zero waste.” The CJA also focuses on the “social, racial, economic and environmental justice issues of climate change,” according to their website.
Another funding recipient is the Delaware Valley Citizens Council for Clean Air, who want to “phase out fracking,” “make biking, walking, transit, and electric vehicles the primary” sources of transportation, and prioritize ending pollution in “environmental justice communities.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center said they are “working with Congress and the Biden administration to ensure a permanent ban on offshore drilling.”
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Another group, BlocPower, works to “decarbonize buildings by replacing fossil fuel-burning appliances with modern, all-electric equipment.” About $10 million was also awarded to West Harlem Environmental Action, Incorporated (WE ACT), which is prioritizing “fighting liquified natural gas and false solution infrastructure.”
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk to an event on gun violence in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Sept. 26, 2024. (Saul Loeb)
“These policy priorities frequently mirror the radical rush-to-green energy policies that the Biden-Harris administration has pushed,” the report reads. “Some of these selectees promote clear political positions and ideologies, despite claiming to be nonpartisan. Some have embraced obstructionist tactics to undermine energy projects and industries they oppose.”
The report also raised concerns over the agency’s ability to properly manage billions of dollars and prevent the misuse of funds.
Additionally, concerns were raised over the “vague or open-ended description” of how the groups can use the funds.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at the Enmarket Arena Aug. 29, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Win McNamee)
The taxpayer-funded grants given to these groups can be used for “public outreach” or “public education.” The report claims that this allows the groups to participate in something “akin to a taxpayer-funded lobbying operation” as they are given space to “influence public and elected officials to adopt their often-extreme views.”
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The EPA responded to the report in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.
“All eligible applications submitted for EPA funding go through a rigorous competitive process,” the EPA said. “EPA takes program integrity very seriously and will continue delivering on the Biden-Harris Administration’s environmental justice goals in a robust and transparent manner. EPA has multiple safeguards in place to ensure grant activities are fully compliant with grant commitments and the laws Congress has directed EPA to implement.”
