James Comer wants to speak with John Kerry.
According to a Fox News article, House Oversight Committee chair James Comer sent a letter expressing concern over Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry’s relationship with eco groups that are pushing to stop coal production in the U.S.
Kerry and his office are coordinating with environmental organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Powering Past Coal Alliance, a group that the U.S. officially joined in December.
Kerry, in a Dec. 2, statement from the COP28 United Nations Climate Summit in Dubai, said: “To achieve our goal of 100% pollution-free electricity, by 2035, it is essential that we phase out coal without any restrictions. We urge the rest of the world to do the same, while we work to create good-paying jobs in clean energy.”
He added, “Together, with the Powering Past Coal Alliance we will work to accelerate the unabated phase-out of coal across the globe, building stronger economies, and more resilient communities.” The first step is to stop the problem from getting worse. Stop building new coal power plants.
From Fox News
Comer raised concerns in a letter he sent on Friday, that Kerry’s decision to join the PPCA may have been heavily influenced nongovernmental organizations, which could be coordinating with other foreign actors. Notably, NRDC is investing and operating in China to help decarbonize China’s economy.
Comer noted that power plants still generate a significant share of electricity in the United States. According to the Energy Information Administration, coal will account for 20% of all U.S. electric generation in 2022. Natural gas is second.
Comer wrote Blinken that documents provided to the Committee revealed the State Department solicited and received feedback on the [PPCA] from leftist environmental group and allowed those groups to influence U.S. Foreign Policy. These documents raise serious concerns about the fact that sensitive information relating to U.S. national security, energy, and foreign policy policies were shared with these groups in private meetings, including with Envoy John Kerry.
The Oversight Chairman continued, “The PPCA was the latest example that Envoy Kerry and Biden Administration took actions under the guise climate advocacy which undermined our economic health while threatening foreign policy priorities and avoiding congressional oversight.”
Fox News:
Top House committee probes John Kerry’s coordination with eco groups pushing coal power shutdown https://t.co/SyhL8DeGIP
Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics January 5, 2020