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Congressional Republicans Investigate Biden’s Green Energy Grant Program
FIRST ON FOX: Republicans in Congress have initiated an investigation into a green energy grant program established during the Biden administration. This program reportedly allocated billions in funding to various climate organizations with connections to Democrats and allies of former President Joe Biden.
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, led by GOP leadership, have sent inquiries to eight nonprofits that were recipients of the $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), requesting clarification on whether the Biden Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adhered to ethical standards and conflict of interest guidelines while distributing the funds.
In a move highlighting concerns about oversight, the Trump administration’s EPA announced in February its plans to recoup these funds, citing significant worries regarding the process of disbursement. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin referenced a former Biden EPA political appointee’s comments, insinuating that distributions from the GGRF were comparable to “tossing gold bars off the Titanic,” implying that the Biden administration was hastily pushing money out the door before the end of Trump’s term.
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A flag bearing the United States Environmental Protection Agency logo flies at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Furthermore, it was disclosed that $2 billion from the GGRF was awarded to Power Forward Communities, a group associated with Stacey Abrams, which was not established until after the Biden administration initiated the GGRF application process. Initial reports indicated that prior to receiving this funding, Power Forward generated only $100 in revenue during its initial months of operation.
Another significant recipient, Climate United, received approximately $7 billion from the GGRF. This group employs a former Biden climate advisor and is under the leadership of a CEO who has ties to the Obama administration. Notably, a board member from this organization was present at the signing ceremony for Biden’s substantial infrastructure bill in 2021.
Many of the GGRF’s grant recipients have associations with Democratic Party officials and Biden advisors, with several having been established shortly before or after the GGRF announcement. According to Administrator Zeldin, these groups had complete discretion over the utilization of the received funds.
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The investigation led by House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., along with fellow committee members Gary Palmer, R-Ala., and Morgan Griffith, R-Va., highlights their concerns about whether the grant funds were distributed “fairly and impartially to qualified applicants” and aims to understand how the money has been utilized by these groups.
The committee issued a joint statement expressing longstanding concerns regarding the GGRF, emphasizing the program’s atypical structure, the possibility of inadequate due diligence in selecting recipients, and whether these organizations could effectively manage the substantial federal funding they received from the EPA.
“A recent Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing that examined these concerns, along with the rapid distribution of funds by the Biden Administration’s EPA, has heightened the Committee’s apprehensions and raised further questions about certain GGRF recipients,” the lawmakers stated.
In addition to the investigation, several groups that benefitted from GGRF funding filed lawsuits against the Trump administration in March, contesting its attempts to recuperate the funds. Subsequently, Judge Tanya Chutkan, appointed by Obama, issued a temporary restraining order which halted the EPA from freezing $14 billion in GGRF funds allocated to three of these climate organizations.
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