A San Francisco-based nonprofit with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is quietly shaping U.S. climate policy, according to a bombshell report. State Armor, a national security watchdog, is sounding the alarm on Energy Foundation China (EFC), accusing it of pushing Beijing’s agenda under the guise of green activism, as Just the News explains. Congress is now being urged to investigate.
EFC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, coordinates with U.S. climate groups to advance policies that align with CCP interests, State Armor claims. The group allegedly funnels millions to American organizations, steering the nation toward dependence on Chinese-controlled energy supply chains. This influence threatens U.S. energy independence and national security.
Originally part of the Energy Foundation, EFC spun off most U.S. operations in 2019, rebranding as a standalone entity. Despite its San Francisco headquarters, the nonprofit maintains close ties to the CCP, with its operations in China overseen by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). This connection raises red flags about its true motives.
EFC’s leadership is stacked with former Chinese government insiders. CEO Zou Ji served as deputy director general of China’s National Center for Climate Change Strategy, while environmental program director Xin Liu held a senior role at Beijing’s Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. These credentials suggest more than just casual ties to Beijing.
David Vance Wagner, EFC’s vice president of strategic partnerships, boasts a resume that includes stints at China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and a leadership role in its vehicle emission policy center. A Tsinghua University graduate, Wagner’s deep connections to China’s bureaucracy fuel suspicions of coordinated influence. This isn’t a grassroots green group -- it’s a well-connected machine.
In 2023, EFC supported an event during California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s visit to China, further intertwining its operations with high-profile U.S. politics. Such moves amplify concerns that EFC is a conduit for CCP soft power, cloaked in environmental rhetoric. Newsom’s cozy trip only adds to the unease.
EFC’s $84 million in 2023 revenue came largely from U.S. anti-fossil fuel heavyweights like the ClimateWorks Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. These groups, alongside the Climate Imperative Foundation, bankroll EFC’s efforts to push America away from fossil fuels. It’s a classic case of progressives unwittingly aiding a foreign adversary.
“It creates a dependence on our side and deprives us of a natural strength,” said State Armor CEO Michael Lucci, slamming EFC’s role in undermining U.S. energy dominance. The shift to alternative energy, Lucci argues, leaves America beholden to Chinese supply chains for solar panels and EV batteries. That’s not green progress -- it’s strategic surrender.
EFC’s grants tell a similar story. In 2022, it funneled $350,000 to the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), with a total of $900,000 over the years, to support studies like one in 2023 linking gas stoves to asthma. Critics note the study ignored a 2013 global report finding no such link, exposing its shaky science.
EFC’s influence extends to academia, with millions in grants to universities such as U.C. Berkeley, Harvard, and UCLA for climate policy research. These funds shape the intellectual underpinnings of policies like the Inflation Reduction Act, which the International Council on Clean Transportation -- another EFC grantee -- pushed for with electric trucking incentives. It’s a slick way to steer U.S. law from afar.
State Armor’s report cites Reuters, which revealed rogue communication devices in Chinese-made solar panels, potentially allowing Beijing to disrupt U.S. energy systems. “So why would that be there?” Lucci asked, hinting at deliberate sabotage. The idea of China flipping a kill switch on America’s grid is chilling.
EFC’s playbook, per Lucci, mirrors the CCP’s “united front” strategy -- a Leninist tactic to build alliances around central nodes like EFC to advance communist goals. “It’s a communist approach to political warfare,” he warned. This isn’t just about climate; it’s about control.
State Armor has called on congressional leaders, including Rep. James Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley, to probe EFC as a national security threat. The group also wants the Department of Justice to investigate whether EFC should register as a foreign agent. These demands underscore the gravity of the allegations.
“Our supply chains are increasingly entangled with a foreign adversary,” said Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, decrying reliance on Chinese solar panels and rare earth minerals. Isaac’s warning exposes the folly of trading energy independence for green dogma. It’s a dependency trap, plain and simple.
The EFC saga is a wake-up call for conservatives and anyone who values American sovereignty. While climate activists cheer the shift to renewables, they’re blind to the strings attached -- strings that lead straight to Beijing. Congress must act swiftly to unravel this green-tinted scheme.