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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a major U.S. environmental group that has influenced policy-making in the Biden administration, has deep ties to the Chinese government.
NRDC, a New York City-based non-profit organization with more than $450 million in total assets, has been working extensively on climate issues in China since the mid-1990s. Government-sponsored institutions.
The NRDC also maintains close working relationships with President Biden’s administration. Former NRDC President Gina McCarthy served as Biden’s climate chief from January 2021 until earlier this month, and current President Manish Bapna has attended at least two White House meetings, Fox News Digital reports. Visitor logs verified by Shaw.
The NRDC regularly contacts the office of Presidential Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry on policy issues, according to an internal State Department email obtained by watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust and shared with Fox News Digital. are fighting.
On its website, the NRDC emphasizes cooperation with “a wide range of Chinese and international partners” to promote the country’s green policy and “strengthen” environmental regulations.
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But the NRDC rarely blames China’s Communist government, despite its world-leading commitment to fossil fuel energy and its enormous carbon footprint. China accounts for about 27% of the world’s total emissions, almost three times that of the United States, the world’s second-largest emitter, according to the Rhodium Group, and a large amount of coal-fired power plants. Continuing approval and construction.
“China is serious about transforming cities into healthier places to live, and now leads the world in renewable energy installations and electric vehicle penetration,” the NRDC website said. It is written
The group has extensive international programs spanning Canada, India and Latin America, but its only office outside the United States is in Beijing, the capital of China. According to the NRDC’s Chinese-language website, the office is registered with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and is overseen by the China State Forestry and Grassland Administration.
According to the NRDC’s latest tax returns, the China office employs 35 people and has an annual budget of $4.2 million. By contrast, the group’s international operations in North America, South America, South Asia and the Middle East have a staff of 11 and a budget of $1.1 million annually.
It is unclear whether NRDC will accept direct or indirect funding from individuals or organizations affiliated with the Chinese government. The Internal Revenue Service does not generally require nonprofits to release donor information.
In addition, many key members of the Beijing office previously worked in the CCP government or left the group to hold government positions.
For example, Jieqing Zhang, head of the NRDC’s China program, was the former deputy director of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China. Kai Duan, a senior project manager at NRDC, also worked at a sub-agency within the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
Jingjing Cheng, now senior strategic advisor for the Group’s China program, previously worked for China’s Ministry of Science and Technology. Another senior adviser, Yinying Chen, said she had previously worked at “universities, government agencies, state-owned and private companies,” according to her NRDC profile.
Hui Huang is the project manager for NRDC’s climate and energy projects in China and previously worked for China Datang Corporation, a state-owned power generation company.
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Zhiming Pan, NRDC’s head of urban projects, was previously an official in China’s Ministry of Housing, Urban and Rural Development.
Amanda Maxwell, NRDC’s Managing Director of International Programs, said in a statement to Fox News Digital: “We rely on the leadership of our U.S.-based executives and no one else to endorse our advocacy positions in China and the U.S.”
“And there is no doubt that all major greenhouse gas emitters, including the United States, the European Union, China, India, Russia and others, must work to reduce the carbon pollution that is driving the climate crisis. No,” she continued.
The NRDC also regularly publishes blog posts praising China’s climate action.
“China’s leaders have sent a clear signal that China’s transition from fossil fuels to clean energy is accelerating and that ‘new energy’, not fossil fuels, should be the cornerstone of China’s future energy system. NRDC Senior Advisor Alvin Lin wrote in 2021.
In another 2021 blog post by another NRDC expert, China’s accord to the UN treaty was “a major victory for global climate change, and confidence in the broader climate negotiations that are heating up this year.” should increase,” he argues.
NRDC Chief Program Officer Andrew Wetzler wrote in 2018 that “the most exciting work in conservation” is taking place in China.
“China is doing a lot to address domestic problems and help fight climate change. Former NRDC President Leah Su wrote in 2016:
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The group issued a press release this April to boast that it received a letter of appreciation from the Beijing 2022 Olympic Organizing Committee for its pre-event climate consultations, led by Beijing CCP Secretary Cai Qi.
“We recently received a letter of appreciation from the organizing committee,” the NRDC wrote in a statement. We will formulate and implement countermeasures.”
The NRDC’s press releases, statements and blog posts on China’s climate policy regularly criticize the government’s lack of action and contrast the rhetoric and actions of the group in the United States with environmental lawsuits to block fossil fuel development. is in contrast.
Founded in the 1970s as “America’s first litigation-focused nonprofit dedicated to cleaning up the pollution of a filthy industry,” the organization filed dozens of legal objections to advance far-left environmental action. I have submitted a complaint.
Through legal efforts, NRDC has opposed domestic oil and gas drilling programs, coal-fired power plants, the Keystone XL pipeline, and significant mineral extraction projects.
The group bragged in December 2019 after filing their 100th lawsuit against the Trump administration.
“No administration is above the law, and the NRDC will continue to prove it,” the group said at the time.
The group has been working on anti-fossil fuel lawsuits since President Biden took office 20 months ago and has had a significant impact on the administration’s climate agenda.
“For the environment, really, everything is power,” H. Sterling Burnett, director of the Heartland Institute’s Center for Climate and Environmental Policy, said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “It’s not about greenhouse gas emissions, is it? If so, they’re always talking about China. They’re not.”
“Why won’t the NRDC attack China?” he continued. “First, they know China can kick them out. Second, it’s hard to bite the hand that feeds you. There is no need to criticize them.
The NRDC’s ties to China and the NRDC’s apparent double standards for US climate policy have also angered Republican lawmakers.
A spokesman for Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., a ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “Environmental groups like the NRDC’s relationship with China “It’s something we continue to monitor closely.” “
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In 2018, then-Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee Westerman and former Utah Congressman Rob Bishop wrote to NRDC leadership asking for more information about their relationship with China. . The pair suggested that the group’s apparent affiliation with China may require them to register as foreign agents.
“The NRDC’s relationship with China has many of the criteria identified by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies and is at risk of being influenced or coerced by foreign interests,” said Bishop and Weber. Starman wrote in a letter dated June 5, 2018.
The letter could herald Westerman’s possible future actions if the Republican Party regains a majority in the November midterm elections, which the NRDC has approved under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). FARA defines a foreign agent as “a foreign agent whose activities are all or substantially A person receiving or receiving assistance”.
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“NRDC’s commitment to China spans two decades and represents a significant investment of time and resources,” the lawmakers’ letter said. “The NRDC’s ability to operate in China depends on the goodwill of the Chinese government.”
“When addressing environmental issues concerning China, the NRDC appears to exercise self-censorship, is biased in its selection of issues, and generally refrains from criticizing Chinese officials,” they said. continued.
The State Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.