BOISE, ID — Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a 19-state coalition calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate more than 150 U.S.-based climate advocacy organizations over alleged violations of federal law related to foreign funding.
In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg, the coalition requested a review of potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires individuals and organizations acting on behalf of foreign entities to register with the Department of Justice and disclose those relationships.
According to the press release issued Wednesday, the coalition alleges that nearly $2 billion in funding from five foreign-based foundations has been directed to more than 150 American climate organizations over the past decade. The foreign organizations identified include the Oak Foundation (Switzerland), Quadrature Climate Foundation (United Kingdom), Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (United Kingdom), KR Foundation (Denmark), and Laudes Foundation (Switzerland) .
The release states that the recipient groups engage in activities such as climate-related litigation, lobbying at the state and federal levels, protest coordination, research supporting policy advocacy, and media campaigns focused on fossil fuel production. Among the largest recipients named are ClimateWorks Foundation, Energy Foundation China, Grantham Foundation, New Venture Fund, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
The coalition’s letter cites what it describes as evidence of “direction and control” by foreign entities, including grant agreements with reporting requirements, performance reviews, and monitoring provisions.
In a statement included in the release, Labrador said federal law requires disclosure when organizations act as agents of foreign entities and that the Department of Justice should review the matter to determine whether enforcement is warranted.
Attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia also signed the letter.
