Biden EPA Funneled Billions to Allies via Green Energy Scheme

Biden's Environmental Protection Agency funneled billions of taxpayer dollars to unqualified environmental nonprofits run by his Democratic allies in a scheme that House Republicans allege constitutes criminal fraud.

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) dedicated $20 billion out of a total $27 billion pot to eight politically connected nonprofits that have known ties to prominent Biden supporters, according to a House Oversight Committee report released Thursday.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin terminated the contracts, citing "concerns over widespread waste, fraud, and abuse" and referred the program to the Department of Justice for investigation.

"It’s clear the Biden Administration turned the Environmental Protection Agency into a vehicle for rewarding political allies, all while risking the stability of our energy infrastructure and burdening American families with higher utility costs," House Committee on Oversight and Government Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) said.

The GGRF steered contracts to their preferred nonprofits by giving social justice concerns, such as racial equity, equal weight to more practical considerations such as responsible financial management and corporate governance, the report alleges. The GGRF was created under Biden's Justice40 initiative, which required that “40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities.”

Several of the nonprofits that received funds failed to fully complete the required application and one nonprofit that received funds even failed to comply with the EPA's basic reporting requirements, according to the report.

Many of the nonprofits that received GGRF contracts would have very small footprints in the absence of Biden administration largesse: On average, the groups increased their total assets by 2,000,000,000 percent through the government contracts.

"EPA is grateful for the Chairman Comer’s strong leadership and the Republican House Oversight Committee’s work to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s self-dealing, conflicts of interest and intentionally reduced agency oversight," an EPA spokesperson told National Review. "Administrator Zeldin canceled these grants due to these well documented concerns, and the Trump EPA will continue to work with our Congressional partners to conduct oversight over the Biden EPA’s waste and abuse."

The fund allowed for taxpayer dollars to be spent on unnecessary projects, and line the pockets of green energy CEOs, the report highlights.

Appalachian Community Capital CEO, for example, received a $237,238 salary after his organization was awarded the EPA contract. Six years into the contract, the CEO's salary is expected to reach more than $400,000.

The report also revealed that Appalachian Community Capital gave GGRF funds to real estate developers to install energy efficient appliances, "housing for artists," and a bar and communal kitchen, featuring emissions free brewery equipment.

The connections to the Biden administration run deep, with many of the authors of GGRF policies sitting on boards at the nonprofits receiving the funds. Many of those executives earned hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

Climate United, another grant recipient, pursued and received a $7 billion GGRF grant from the EPA while, Anthony Foxx, the secretary of transportation under President Barrack Obama, sat on the company's board.

Further, the Coalition for Green Capital, awarded a $5 billion grant, had board members with Biden connections, including Cecilia Martinez, senior director of environmental justice at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and David Hayes, a senior advisor for White House Climate Policy Office. Jahi Wise, a senior policy expert at Coalition for Green Capital, was selected by the Biden White House to be the director of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

"Americans deserve better than this green energy scam disguised as environmental justice, and Oversight Republicans will continue to hold the Biden Administration accountable to ensure the EPA operates as intended and that taxpayer dollars are spent transparently, responsibly, and in the best interest of the American people," Comer said.