First appearance on Fox: House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is going after the State Department over its apparent collaboration with environmental groups pushing to shut down global coal-fired power generation.
In a letter sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, Comer said his committee is working with John Kerry, special presidential envoy on climate change, and environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to discuss coal-related issues. It said it had obtained emails showing extensive correspondence regarding plans to oppose thermal power generation. Officials specifically discussed joining the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), a group the United States formally joined in December.
“Achieving the goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 requires phasing out persistent coal and working to expand good-paying clean energy jobs.” However, we invite the world to join in,” Kelly said. He said this in a statement on December 2 at the COP28 United Nations Climate Summit in Dubai.
He added: “Together with the Powering Past Coal Alliance, we will accelerate the unabated phase-out of coal around the world and work to build stronger economies and more resilient communities. ” he added. “The first step is to stop the problem from getting worse. Stop the unabated construction of new coal-fired power plants.”
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Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will attend the UNFCCC Official Opening Ceremony at the United Nations COP28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai on November 30, 2023. (Mahmoud Khaled/COP28 via Getty Images)
Comer said in a letter Friday that Kelly's final decision to join the PPCA was heavily influenced by non-governmental organizations and that he was concerned that non-governmental organizations may be working with foreign parties. expressed. Notably, NRDC has significant operations and investments in China, which the group says are aimed at supporting efforts to decarbonize the country's economy.
Comer also noted that coal-fired power plants continue to generate the majority of the country's total electricity. According to the Energy Information Administration, coal will account for 20% of total electricity generation in the United States in 2022, second only to natural gas.
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“Documents submitted to the committee make clear that the State Department solicited and received feedback from left-wing environmental groups on this issue.” [PPCA] “These documents raise serious concerns that sensitive information related to U.S. foreign policy, energy policy, and national security policy is being shared with these groups, including nonpublic information.” Comer wrote in a letter to Blinken. Record meeting with Special Envoy John Kerry. ”
“The PPCA announcement is the latest example of Special Envoy Kerry and the Biden Administration taking actions under the guise of climate change advocacy that undermine our economic health and threaten our foreign policy priorities while avoiding Congressional oversight.” He continued.
Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) arrives for a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on September 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
For example, Comer pointed to a March 2021 exchange in which State Department officials “requested and received guidance” from NRDC regarding the PPCA. An official sent a letter to NRDC leaders requesting more information about global efforts to phase out coal production, citing an off-the-record briefing earlier in the day.
In response, Han Chen, an international analyst at NRDC, linked the State Department with another ecogroup, E3G, to urge countries to “announce early closures of coal-fired power plants through the process of qualifying for PPCA.” He praised the efforts of the PPCA.
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A month later, in April 2021, NRDC, E3G, the Sierra Club, and the Institute for Climate Change and World Resource Solutions drafted a memo emphasizing support for U.S. participation in the PPCA and emailed it to State Department officials. did. They said joining the alliance would support President Biden's goal of decarbonizing the U.S. power grid by 2035.
“These communications raise concerns about what information Special Envoy Kerry and the SPEC Secretariat are providing to organizations like NRDC in exchange for this information,” Comer wrote to Blinken. He continued in letters.
“The Committee is concerned that U.S. government officials may be able to provide information to foreign governments for efforts to undermine U.S. national security and energy security by providing similar non-public information to these entities,” he said. I am concerned that there is.”
The recently closed DTE Energy River Rouge coal-fired power plant. April 19, 2022 in River Rouge, Michigan. (Erin Kirkland/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Mr. Comer then requested a series of documents and communications related to the State Department's decision to join the PPCA. He asked for information to be submitted to the committee by January 19th and requested a staff-level briefing on the topic.
The State Department, NRDC, and PPCA did not respond to requests for comment.
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One of Mr. Comer's first actions as head of the oversight committee was to launch an investigation into Mr. Kelly's office in February over its negotiations with China.And in May, he came again. Promises “strict monitoring” On Kerry's China climate change negotiations.
The investigation announced Friday is part of Comer's broader oversight of Kerry's office and its actions on behalf of the United States in climate change negotiations on the world stage.
US climate czar John Kerry (left) is greeted by China's top diplomat Wang Yi before a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 18, 2023. (Florence Lopool/Getty Images)
Immediately after taking office in 2021, Biden appoints Kerry His appointment to the previously non-existent position of US SPEC did not require Senate confirmation and gave him a place in the President's Cabinet and as a member of the National Security Council. The SPEC office is located within the Department of State, has an estimated annual budget of $13.9 million, and has an authorized staff of 45.
Since taking office, Mr. Kerry has traveled the world, attending high-profile climate change summits and diplomatic engagements to advance the global transition from fossil fuels to green energy alternatives.
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Despite his high-level role leading the Biden administration's global climate strategy, Kerry's office has so far I keep quiet about internal affairs. The staffers' comments have sparked criticism from Republican lawmakers, including Comer, who have called for transparency from his office.
