The Biden-Harris administration and climate waste: Giving billions of dollars to fledgling organizations

The Biden-Harris administration awarded millions of dollars to climate organizations that were only months old from being created or obtaining nonprofit status. There is no public information for several of them. This was revealed by an investigation carried out by Real Clear Investigations.

This is the case with Justice Climate Fund, which eight months after obtaining nonprofit status in August 2023 received $940 million from the Biden administration. The grant is part of the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund from the White House. The fund aims to provide financial assistance to reduce carbon emissions and reduce pollution.

But Justice Climate Fund isn't the only organization that struck it rich soon after qualifying as a nonprofit. A month after gaining the status, Power Forward Communities, which reported 2023 revenues of $100, received $2 billion.

According to Real Clear Investigations, the grants were awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency, which is new to the world of major grants. The agency acknowledged that it had not given out such large amounts of money in the past. In fact, its inspector general told Congress last month that the situation was a "fantastically complex" and "unusual" methodologyand one that his team would have difficulty moving forward.

In addition, several people question that many of the organizations have people on their boards who have political ties. Climate United Fund was the individual winner of the grants, which were announced in April. It will receive more than $6 billion. According to the investigation, the fund's directors include prominent Democrats, such as Phil Angelides, former California state treasurer.

"After this article was published Climate United told RCI that Anthony Foxx, who served as Transportation Secretary in the Obama administration, was 'listed as a board member for our [grant] application but did not commit to serving post award'. A press release on the group’s website names Foxx as a member of its “Inaugural Board of Directors,'" explained Real Clear Investigations.

The $27 billion allocated to the Greenhouse Fund is a portion of the money the Biden-Harris administration included in the IRA for its radical green agenda:

"Biden acknowledged the bill’s true purpose this summer when he called the IRA a 'climate' bill, thereby aligning the administration’s position with what leftist environmental groups such as the World Resource Institute hailed from the beginning as 'the largest piece of climate legislation in U.S. history,'" Real Clear Investigations s.tated

This raises concerns about the Democratic administration's efforts to spend tens of billions of dollars in its final months. It's a firestorm of taxpayer money that several experts charge is being handled under a format that is poorly understood, untested and difficult to audit.

"These groups are political front groups that are simply created to funnel billions of taxpayer dollars to Democrat campaigns under the guise of doing something good," said Mandy Gunasekara, who served as EPA chief of staff in the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency said the Greenhouse Fund is "an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate the adoption of greenhouse gas reducing technologies." The agency has no doubt that by investing in making homes and residential neighborhoods greener, the money will pay dividends in lower utility bills and more jobs.

Also, the agency considers this bonanza to be seed money. It expects the funds that nonprofits put toward reducing the nation's carbon footprint to attract seven times their value in private investments.

As Real Clear Investigations explained, the fund's criteria stipulate that at least 40% of the billions must go to low-income or disadvantaged communities and tribal lands. In some cases, grantees have allegedly agreed to invest up to 70% of the funds in those same regions.

In that regard, Greenhouse Fund money has been distributed across three programs. The most significant is the National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF), which will allocate $14 billion to three groups. It is followed by the Solar For All program, with $7 billion, and finally, $6 billion will be spread among five groups under the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA).

Critics insist that part of the problem in the allocation of funds is the political ties of those heading these organizations. For example, the board of directors of the Coalition for Green Capital, which received the second-largest NCIF grant of $5 billion, includes Hugh Frater, who headed Fannie Mae, the Federal Housing Finance Corporation, at the end of the Obama administration.

Another case is Cecilia Martinez, another Green Capital Coalition board member, who was the top environmental justice official in Biden's White House before moving to the defense and nonprofit sector. Stephen Brown, director of the Coalition's network, began his career in Washington during the Clinton administration.

Jessie Buendia, the organization's impact director, had a role in California state government. Daniela Nyiri worked on campaigns for Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens before joining the Progressive Engagement Project.

Power Forward Communities also garners attention due to its leadership. Timothy J. Mayopoulos, who managed Fannie Mae under President Obama from 2012 to 2018, is one of the leaders of the organization. Additionally, Shaun Donovan, another director, served in the Obama administration throughout its eight years, including a role as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

On the other hand, some of the CCIA grantees went to more established organizations, such as Inclusiv Inc, a company that has been around since 1977 and will receive $1.87 billion, and Opportunity Finance Network , which in 2022 had revenues of $76 million, according to tax records accessed by Real Clear Investigations.

Republican lawmakers are forceful with Biden's green agenda and argue that his obsession with the climate issue is costing millions of dollars to Americans who are increasingly affected by inflation under Democratic rule.

"The Biden-Harris administration’s radical rush-to-green energy policies have fueled out-of-control inflation, which has driven up prices by more than 20 percent and destroyed the economic stability American families deserve," said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

"While American families are increasingly worried about unaffordable costs, the Biden-Harris administration is working relentlessly to expand its radical energy agenda," the Republican added.