EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Files Criminal Referrals Over Alleged Self-Dealing in Biden-Era Green Energy Grants

Washington, D.C. – Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has submitted multiple criminal referrals to the EPA Inspector General and the Department of Justice concerning what he described as a pattern of self-dealing and waste in billions of dollars of green energy grants awarded during the Biden administration.

Zeldin detailed the findings in a June 1, 2026, interview on the John Solomon Reports podcast, stating the grants involved eight nonprofit “cutouts” used to route taxpayer funds to politically connected individuals and entities tied to former Obama and Biden officials, Democratic donors, and high-ranking administration alumni.

“It’s about self-dealing,” Zeldin said. “As you look through all of these pass-through entities, you’re seeing so many connections to former Obama and Biden administration officials and Democratic donors, people who were former Cabinet members, other high-ranking administration officials.”

The administrator reported canceling or halting approximately $29 billion in EPA grants. This includes a $2 billion award to Power Forward Communities, a nonprofit with ties to former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. The group had reported only $100 in revenue the year before receiving the massive grant for residential decarbonization efforts.

Zeldin highlighted additional red flags, including a $5 billion grant overseen by Jahi Wise, former director of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, to his previous employer, and a $20 million award to Young, Gifted & Green, whose CEO applied while serving on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

“Those referrals have been made,” Zeldin confirmed regarding the criminal referrals. He tied the issues to the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, saying it enabled rushed funding to “unqualified friends” with minimal oversight. “The whole thing just feels criminal,” he added. “This is clearly something that falls into the category of blatant waste and abuse.”

The grants originated from the $20 billion initially directed through Citibank to select nonprofits. Career EPA staff raised concerns during review about the recipients’ lack of financial capacity and political connections. Zeldin’s team has worked to claw back funds, facing ongoing litigation, including appeals at the D.C. Circuit.

Zeldin emphasized the goal is taxpayer recovery, not partisan redirection. “We’re not taking money from left-wing NGOs to give them to right-wing NGOs. This is about getting that money back to the taxpayer... zero tolerance for it.”

The probe aligns with broader Trump administration efforts to address waste, fraud, and abuse across federal agencies, particularly in programs expanded under prior Democratic control. Judicial Watch and other groups have pursued related records through litigation. Abrams has denied wrongdoing, framing the grants as efforts to lower energy costs for Americans.