Private grant money supports staff in the Office of Sustainability & Clean Energy
Delafield, WI – Today, IRG’s Center for Investigative Oversight released a new report, “Shadow Agency: How the United Nations Foundation and Evers Administration Are Colluding to Evade the Legislative Process and Force a Climate Agenda on Wisconsin.”
What It Is: A new report by IRG has discovered that the United Nations Foundation, the multi-billion dollar UN partner chaired by media tycoon Ty Turner, is funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Evers Administration to fund jobs created by executive order aimed at combating climate change.
Why Does It Matter: These documents, obtained by IRG’s CIO, show that Governor Evers is using approximately $300,000 of UNF funds to staff the Office of Sustainability & Clean Energy (OSCE), a governmental entity he created solely by executive order, which in turn has worked to implement far-left climate priorities such as a “carbon-free” Wisconsin by 2050. DOA staff failed to disclose the relationship with the UNF when directly questioned by the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance in March about how the OSCE positions were funded.
The Legislature has repeatedly denied Governor Evers’ requests for money to fund his climate change and “environmental justice” initiatives. Governor Evers’ decision to sidestep the legislative process and instead rely on the UNF raises fundamental questions about the legality and propriety of his administration’s activities, including whether DOA misled the Joint Committee on Finance and how much control the UNF has over DOA’s work.
What Happens Next: The CIO’s report makes clear that legislative oversight of DOA’s climate-related initiatives should occur.
IRG’s Chief Legal Counsel and Director of Oversight Anthony LoCoco released the following statement:
“The lack of transparency from the Evers administration on its privately-funded climate change initiatives is astonishing. The people of Wisconsin deserve to know exactly who is setting environmental policies for the state and exactly how it is being done.”
Senator Duey Stroebel, Chair of the Senate Committee on Government Operations and Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Finance, released the following statement:
“The actions of DOA appear to be concerning but not surprising. Candor before the Joint Finance Committee is not optional. Oversight is an important function of the Legislature, and I appreciate all the help we can get.”
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