Another reason for DOGE
The uncovering of an elaborate money laundering scheme that quietly funneled $20 billion in taxpayer funds to well-connected environmental groups as the curtain fell on the Biden administration provides fresh justification for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to root out widespread waste and corruption in the federal bureaucracy.
An audit conducted by DOGE whiz kids and a team overseen by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin found that $20 billion in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants earmarked for climate and environmental justice groups had been deposited with Citibank, where it would presumably be shielded from the prying eyes of the Trump administration.
After being parked at Citibank, the money was to be transferred to eight “green banks,” defined on the EPA’s website as “public, quasi-public, or nonprofit financing entities that leverage public and private capital to pursue goals for clean energy projects that reduce emissions.” In practice, green banks serve as pass-throughs where federal funds can be funneled to political allies on the outside. Green banks also have a network of subcontractors that gleefully participate in the taxpayer largesse.
As widely reported, one of the green banks receiving the Biden EPA loot is Power Forward Communities, a coalition of climate groups linked to two-time losing Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Ms. Abrams’s outfit was awarded $2 billion in August, even though it was less than one year old and, thus, had no record of performance to justify such a generous grant. Indeed, its revenue for 2023 amounted to $100.
Other green banks pocketing EPA money included United Climate ($6.97 billion) and Justice Climate Fund ($940 million). Mr. Zeldin canceled another $50 million earmarked for the Climate Justice Alliance after it was revealed that one of the group’s slogans is “Climate justice begins with a Free Palestine.”
