House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, has initiated an investigation into the U.S. State Department’s alleged collaboration with environmental groups advocating for the closure of global coal power plants, Fox News Digital reports.
Comer’s committee uncovered emails between Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry’s office and environmental organizations, such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), revealing extensive communication regarding plans to oppose coal power.
The correspondence included discussions about joining the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), which the U.S. officially joined in December.
Climate grifter extraordinaire, John Kerry, announces the need for a war-like effort to collapse the global farming industry, in order to tackle the imaginary "climate crisis".
"You just can't continue to both warm the planet, while also expecting to feed it. It doesn't work…… pic.twitter.com/NO3vvu1Eea
— Wide Awake Media (@wideawake_media) January 5, 2024
Comer, in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressed concerns that Kerry’s decision to join the PPCA might have been influenced by non-governmental organizations coordinating with foreign actors.
Notably, the NRDC has significant operations and investments in China, aimed at assisting in decarbonizing the nation’s economy.
Comer also highlighted that coal-fired power plants still contribute substantially to the U.S. electricity generation, accounting for 20% in 2022, the second-largest after natural gas.
The letter revealed that the State Department sought feedback from environmental groups on the PPCA, allowing them to influence U.S. foreign policy. Comer asserted that confidential information related to U.S. foreign policy, energy policy, and national security policy may have been shared with these groups, including in off-the-record meetings with Envoy John Kerry.
Comer referenced a March 2021 exchange where State Department officials solicited guidance from the NRDC about the PPCA. Subsequently, the NRDC connected the State Department with another eco group, E3G, praising the PPCA for driving countries to announce earlier coal plant closures. In April 2021, the NRDC, E3G, Sierra Club, Solutions for Our Climate, and World Resources Institute authored a memo supporting the U.S. joining the PPCA, aligning with President Biden’s goal to decarbonize the U.S. power grid by 2035.
The Oversight Committee requested documents and communications related to the State Department’s decision to join the PPCA, expressing concerns about potential sharing of nonpublic information with foreign governments. Comer sought a response by January 19 and requested a staff-level briefing on the topic.
This investigation is part of Comer’s broader oversight into Kerry’s office and actions representing the U.S. in climate negotiations on the world stage. Previously, Comer had initiated a probe into Kerry’s office over negotiations with China and had promised “intense scrutiny” of Kerry’s China climate talks.
