A non-profit group that researches energy regulations is suing the State Department for information about a green energy lobbyist who coordinated with China to push Obama-era climate policies.
The Institute for Energy Research (IER) filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Trump administration seeking records related to lobbyist Jennifer Morgan’s push for China to adopt U.S. climate policies while she worked for the World Resources Institute (WRI). IER suggests the Obama administration helped WRI aid the Chinese government.
“It is of utmost importance to investigate and reveal how foreign entities are advancing their interests through malicious collaboration with environmental groups,” Thomas Pyle, President of IER, said in a press statement. “The circumstances surrounding this specific correspondence are of great concern to the public and State is obligated to fulfill its duties by turning these documents over.”
Records reveal that the State Department used public resources to assist Morgan and WRI in their effort to help China continue its impact on U.S. climate policy.
IER is not the only group seeking documents about Morgan’s contact with China and Obama-era officials.
E&E Legal filed a similar lawsuit in 2017 for information on Morgan’s communications with State Department officials about her lobbying efforts.
E&E obtained records showing Morgan boasted that China’s National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC) had “approached” WRI to coordinate think tanks and other advocates.
The Obama administration sought to push China and other countries to adopt policies intended to tackle climate change.
President Donald Trump promised to “cancel” the Paris agreement on the campaign trail – the non-binding deal required the U.S. to drastically reduce gas emissions by 2035.
Trump also pledged to cut funding for United Nations global warming programs and using that money to update U.S. environmental infrastructure.
Obama pledged $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund on top of funding other global warming programs across the world.
One of the Trump transition team’s requests to the State Department was a breakdown of funding provided to environmental groups for global warming programs.
If Trump cuts international global warming programs, governments and activist groups could lose funding.
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