Cathy McMorris Rodgers - the Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee | Official U.S. House headshot
Cathy McMorris Rodgers - the Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee | Official U.S. House headshot
In a recent letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Reagan, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Chair Buddy Carter (R-GA) have sought answers regarding the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) grants recently awarded.
The Committee has raised concerns about how the EPA planned to distribute the $20 billion available under the new GGRF program, including $14 billion for the National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF). The Committee warned that these substantial awards could be used by the EPA to subsidize favored organizations. At a hearing held on January 30, 2024, Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers highlighted examples of former Biden administration officials and Democratic campaign staff leading organizations competing for NCIF funding. Following the EPA's announcement of NCIF recipients on April 4, 2024, fears were confirmed that this program would channel taxpayer dollars to political allies.
The letter also pointed out that other individuals with ties to Democratic politics lead organizations partnering with these recipients. Despite assurances from the EPA that it had ethics rules and fair competition policies in place, distributing billions of dollars to organizations led by politically connected individuals undermines public trust in the legitimacy of federal financial awards. This situation further raises concerns that this program was created as an excuse to distribute funding to political allies.
The Chairs cited over a dozen examples of politically connected leaders of organizations set to receive billions in taxpayer dollars from the EPA. They have requested a list of all stakeholder meetings held by the EPA during the program's design phase. This includes dates, names of participating individuals and organizations as well as any related minutes or memoranda by May 28, 2024.
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