Scrutiny is intensifying around Bloomberg Philanthropies and its funding practices, with House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) spearheading an investigation into the philanthropy's ties with state attorneys general's offices, particularly concerning the New York University School of Law's State Energy & Environmental Impact Center. According to an official release from the Oversight Committee, Comer has expressed concern that the fellows funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies may be leveraging their positions to advance partisan lawsuits and push for stringent regulations aligned with the philanthropy's environmental campaigns.
Pointing to the establishment of the State Impact Center in 2016, courtesy of a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Comer's letter to Patricia Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies, and to Bethany Davis Noll, Executive Director of The State Energy & Environmental Impact Center, sheds light on the alignment between the fellows' projects and Bloomberg's own 'Beyond Carbon' and 'Beyond Petrochemicals' initiatives; Bloomberg, having funnelled hundreds of millions into climate advocacy, stands accused by Comer of using philanthropy as a veil to push a partisan agenda that bypasses legislative procedures, the fellows in these attorney general offices are alleged to have been instrumental in legal actions that reflect the priorities of democratic state attorney generals and the energy policies of the Biden Administration all while, Comer argues, no trace of support exists for offices and policies held by Republican counterparts.
Comer's criticism underscores what he perceives as the erosion of faith in the American legal system, fueled by the actions of the Bloomberg-NYU program, which he believes functions as a political arm rather than an independent entity, by offering "partisan money from a billionaire to carry out official functions" of state offices, these relationships are thought to pose a forensic risk to the impartiality of participating attorney generals – potentially compromising their ability to serve their constituents. In his letter, Comer warned that proposed climate policies could lead to higher utility costs and financial burdens for working-class Americans, citing concerns about subsidies and regulatory impacts, according to the Oversight Committee.
