FBI agents questioned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees this week about a Biden-era $20 billion climate grant program, intensifying a criminal probe that has already led to a senior prosecutor’s resignation.
The investigation centers on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, established under Biden’s 2022 climate law. Trump-appointed EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has accused the Biden administration of awarding funds with little oversight and vowed to claw back money from Citibank, which disbursed the grants.
The decision followed recent actions by the Justice Department to push the investigation forward, including having a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney submit a warrant request when career prosecutors hesitated and reaching out to prosecutors in other offices willing to take part in the case.
The EPA chief referenced a secretly recorded Project Veritas video in which an EPA official claimed the Biden administration was “trying to get the money out as fast as possible before they come in and stop it all. … It truly feels like we’re on the Titanic and we’re throwing, like, gold bars off the edge.” That official, Brent Efron, has since been contacted by investigators.
An EPA spokesperson reiterated Zeldin’s claims, stating, “When we discovered the Biden administration’s plan to swiftly move $20 billion outside the agency, we suspected some organizations were hastily formed solely to exploit the funds. As we uncover more details about where the money went, the extent and acceptance of this waste and abuse become even clearer.”
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove’s office contacted U.S. attorney’s offices to initiate a grand jury investigation and request a court-ordered bank freeze, but prosecutors in those offices declined to approve the warrant request. It remains unclear whether additional evidence has since emerged or if a warrant was issued elsewhere. Meanwhile, at least three grant recipients reported that their accounts have been frozen, though the bank has not provided an explanation.
Agents are investigating spending under the two main components of Biden’s “green bank” grant initiative—the National Clean Investment Fund and the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator—both of which are purportedly designed to fund clean-energy and clean-technology projects.
Testifying before Congress, EPA acting Inspector General Nicole Murley confirmed her office is also reviewing the program, citing concerns over inadequate vetting and oversight of the funds.
