Administrator Zeldin Terminates Biden-Harris $20B 'Gold Bar' Grants
WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin notified National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator recipients of the termination of their grant agreements under the Biden-Harris Administration’s $20 billion “gold bar” scheme. This termination is based on substantial concerns regarding the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) program integrity, the award process, programmatic fraud, waste, and abuse, and misalignment with agency’s priorities, which collectively undermine the fundamental goals and statutory objectives of the award.
“The days of ‘throwing gold bars off the Titanic’ are over. The well documented incidents of misconduct, conflicts of interest, and potential fraud raise significant concerns and pose unacceptable risk. I have taken action to terminate these grants riddled with self-dealing and wasteful spending. EPA will be an exceptional steward of taxpayer dollars dedicated to our core mission of protecting human health and the environment, not a frivolous spender in the name of ‘climate equity,’” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.
Following a comprehensive review and consistent with multiple ongoing independent federal investigations into programmatic fraud, waste, abuse and conflicts of interest, EPA has identified material deficiencies which pose an unacceptable risk to the lawful execution of these grants.
The Biden EPA parked tens of billions of taxpayer dollars at an outside financial institution in a manner that deliberately reduced the ability of EPA to conduct proper oversight. The termination of these grants reflects EPA’s duty to protect public funds and maintain the integrity of its grant programs. The agency is committed to administering this taxpayer funding in a transparent and accountable manner with the highest standards of fiscal responsibility.
EPA will work to re-obligate lawfully appropriated funds in the GGRF with enhanced controls to ensure adequate governance, transparency, and accountability, consistent with statutory requirements.
Last week, EPA formally referred to the Office of the Inspector General the well documented and concerning matter of financial mismanagement, conflicts of interest, and oversight failures with the GGRF. This program is undergoing a comprehensive review alongside concurrent investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation.