Foreign Agents? Congress Investigates A Second US Environmental Group Over Chinese Ties

Congressional Republicans have opened an investigation into a second U.S.-based environmental group over its ties to the Chinese government. Top Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee asked the World Resources Institute (WRI), an environmental advocacy group, to turn over documents related to its work with Chinese officials and their advocacy in the U.S. Lawmakers want to know if WRI’s desire to maintain good relations with the Chinese is affecting the group’s U.S. operations and advocacy — effectively making it a foreign agent of the communist government. “WRI’s desire to maintain access to Chinese officials may influence its political activities in the United States,” Republican Reps. Rob Bishop of Utah and Bruce Westerman of Arkansas wrote in a letter to WRI President Andrew Steer sent Wednesday. “Given WRI’s close ties to the Chinese government, its emphasis on cultivating contacts with various U.S. officials is particularly disconcerting in light of the government partnerships and environmental initiatives involving WRI during the Obama Administration,” they wrote. “Since President Trump’s election, WRI political activities have turned to influencing state and municipal governments,” the lawmakers wrote. “In at least one governor’s office, WRI has embedded a senior environmental adviser and appears to exercise a high level of control of the government’s environmental agenda.” WRI describes itself as a nonprofit “global research organization” that operates in more than 60 countries, including China. WRI played a role in the Paris Agreement negotiations in 2015, and praised China for its pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions...MORE

 For the Committees inquiry into the Natural Resources Defense Council see:

Congress Questions US Environmental Group’s Ties To The Chinese GovernmentA House committee is asking the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the U.S.’s most prominent environmental groups, about its ties to the China’s communist government. Top Republicans on the House Committee on Natural Resources sent a letter to the NRDC asking the group to clarify its two-decade relationship with the Chinese government and question whether the group should register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Lawmakers cited recent reports on China’s “vast influence machine” — through funding colleges, think tanks, advocacy groups and others — which it uses to shape its global image, including on environmental issues. “The Committee is concerned about the NRDC’s role in aiding China’s perception management efforts with respect to pollution control and its international standing on environmental issues in ways that may be detrimental to the United States,” GOP Reps. Rob Bishop of Utah and Bruce Westerman of Arkansas wrote in their letter to the NRDC. Among other things, the lawmakers pressed the NRDC on why they were quick to praise China on fishing policies while other environmentalists decried the communist country’s overfishing. Bishop and Westerman noted that while the NRDC often praises China, the group “takes an adversarial approach to its advocacy practices in the United States,” including bragging about dozens of lawsuits filed against the Trump administration. The NRDC has also sued the U.S. government to curtail naval exercises and testing in the Pacific Ocean, but lawmakers said the NRDC has not protested similar actions by China, and the group has been silent on China’s creation of artificial islands in the South China Sea...

Both letters are embedded below or you can see the WRI letter here and the NRDC letter here.

Below is the 6/5 letter to the NRDC and the 9/5 letter to WRI.