Louisiana policy group says environmental litigation against major energy projects has been supported by nonprofits receiving funding connected to Chinese government-linked organizations.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A policy report examining barriers to energy development in Louisiana alleges that a network of environmental organizations challenging U.S. energy projects has received financial support from entities with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
The findings, highlighted in a report by the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, examine legal campaigns directed at energy infrastructure projects in Louisiana and the funding streams connected to the environmental law organization Earthjustice. The analysis follows reporting that a Chinese government-linked nonprofit gave millions of dollars to Earthjustice over the past two decades.
Barriers to Louisiana Energy Dominance Paper by yourNEWS Media
Earthjustice, headquartered in San Francisco, provides legal representation for environmental advocacy groups that challenge energy development projects through lawsuits, permitting disputes, and regulatory complaints. According to the Pelican Institute report, the organization has represented several Louisiana-based groups involved in campaigns opposing petrochemical and energy facilities.
Among those organizations are RISE St. James and the Alliance for Affordable Energy, both of which participate in Louisiana Against False Solutions, a coalition advocating for a shift away from fossil fuel energy sources.
The coalition and its partners have been involved in legal actions and advocacy efforts targeting several industrial projects in Louisiana, including a proposed petrochemical complex planned by Formosa Plastics, operations at Denka’s synthetic rubber facility, a Mitsubishi Chemical plant, and a methane gas power plant proposed by Entergy Louisiana.
The Pelican Institute report states that Earthjustice has received $6,562,936 in funding since 2003 from Energy Foundation China, a nonprofit organization described as having connections to Chinese government entities.
Energy Foundation China’s chief executive officer, Ji Zhou, previously held leadership positions within China’s National Center for Climate Change Strategy, an institution embedded in the National Development and Reform Commission of China’s State Council. Zhou also attended the 2015 Paris climate negotiations as a Chinese delegate, according to reporting cited in the analysis.
Another figure associated with the organization, board member Hongjun Zhang, previously served as legislative director for China’s National People’s Congress, according to reporting cited in the report.
Energy Foundation China maintains offices in both San Francisco and Beijing, with the Beijing office registered with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, according to nonprofit database research.
The organization was previously affiliated with the U.S.-based Energy Foundation before the two groups formally separated into distinct entities in 2019. According to the Pelican Institute’s findings, the organizations continued sharing office space in San Francisco until 2022 and shared personnel as recently as 2024, with several Energy Foundation China employees receiving compensation through the U.S. foundation.
The Energy Foundation has faced scrutiny in Washington over its role in funding environmental advocacy groups engaged in litigation against energy projects. Concerns about the relationship between foreign funding sources and legal challenges targeting American energy infrastructure were examined during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Enter the Dragon: China and the Left’s Lawfare Against American Energy Dominance.”
According to the Pelican Institute report, Energy Foundation and Energy Foundation China together provided approximately $6.4 million to organizations associated with Louisiana Against False Solutions.
The analysis also states that groups affiliated with the coalition have received roughly $115.5 million in funding from donors outside Louisiana, including organizations such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Rockefeller Family Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, and the Tides Foundation.
Earthjustice has also collaborated with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s environmental initiatives, including the multibillion-dollar Beyond Carbon campaign and the Beyond Petrochemicals initiative.
The Beyond Carbon program seeks to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuel energy sources in the United States and has supported efforts aimed at shutting down coal-fired power plants nationwide by 2030, according to an Earthjustice announcement.
Another initiative supported by Bloomberg, the Beyond Petrochemicals campaign, was launched to challenge the expansion of petrochemical manufacturing facilities across Louisiana, Texas and the Ohio River Valley. The campaign sought to halt more than 120 proposed projects by working with local communities affected by industrial development, according to a program announcement.
The Bloomberg Family Foundation has provided at least $34.25 million in donations to Earthjustice. The organization has described Bloomberg as a “powerful ally” in its environmental campaigns.
Earthjustice has also faced congressional scrutiny over potential international ties. In 2018, Republican lawmakers on the House Natural Resources Committee requested documents regarding communications between the nonprofit and foreign officials and environmental activists, as previously reported.
The organization later registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act in 2019 due to its representation of youth climate activists acting as foreign principals from several countries, including South Africa, Brazil, India, Nigeria and France, as reflected in a registration filing.
The Pelican Institute report argues that litigation and regulatory challenges brought by environmental groups have created significant obstacles for energy development projects in Louisiana, a state with one of the largest energy industries in the United States.
The report concludes that foreign-linked funding streams connected to environmental advocacy networks could play a role in shaping legal efforts that challenge American energy infrastructure and industrial development projects.
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