- A Chinese government-backed nonprofit, the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), is advocating for New York’s $75 billion climate superfund law targeting energy companies.
- House Republicans investigate CPC over alleged ties to Chinese entities and a scandal involving coaching illegal immigrants to evade U.S. immigration authorities.
- The law faces legal challenges for potentially violating constitutional rights and imperiling U.S. energy security, with the Trump administration suing to block it.
- CPC’s funding sources include Chinese state-owned banks like the Bank of China and ICBC, raising concerns about foreign influence in U.S. domestic policy.
- Critics warn the law could inflate energy costs, weaken grid reliability and serve Beijing’s geopolitical agenda by destabilizing American energy independence.
A New York nonprofit bankrolled by Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked entities is at the center of a controversial state climate law that could force fossil fuel companies to pay $75 billion over 25 years for climate mitigation projects. The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), which received millions from Chinese state-owned banks and Washington taxpayer funds, has aggressively backed the “Climate Change Superfund Act,” sparking a federal investigation and constitutional concerns. Critics argue the law, signed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in December 2024, threatens U.S. energy security, inflates consumer costs and represents undercover influence by Beijing to undermine American sovereignty.
The CPC’s funding web and policy influence
The CPC’s financial ties to Beijing are well-documented. It has secured $1.4 million in U.S. taxpayer funds since 2022 and over $445,000 from Chinese government-linked institutions, including state-owned banks like the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and the Bank of China. Annual reports show ICBC donated nearly $20,000 to the group between 2018 and 2023, while the Bank of China gave as much as $9,999 annually since 2020.
This funding paired with radical policy advocacy has drawn scrutiny from national security experts. Michael Lucci, founder of State Armor, told the Daily Caller that the CPC serves as a “conduit for CCP-linked money” and warned lawmakers supporting the climate law were “playing into the CCP’s geopolitical strategy.”
The CPC has pushed the New York climate superfund law since its legislative introduction, filing testimony in January 2024 to lobby for its inclusion in the state’s budget. The law, which remains contentious, seeks to extract funds from energy companies for climate resiliency projects like urban drainage upgrades and green building retrofits.
Legal and economic repercussions: “A constitutional time bomb”
Legal experts and industry analysts have raised concerns about the law’s constitutionality and economic impact. The Trump administration’s May 1 lawsuit against New York and Vermont argues it unlawfully imposes retroactive liability on energy companies for climate damages and violates the Commerce Clause by targeting out-of-state operations.
“The law doesn’t just strain budgets — it’s a constitutional time bomb,” said Republican Party energy lawyer Tom Jensen. “Forcing companies to pay for past emissions they couldn’t foresee is trial by legislature, not due process.”
Critics also predict higher consumer costs. While Hochul’s office claims the law shifts expenses from taxpayers to energy firms, economists argue companies will merely pass costs onto ratepayers. A February analysis by the American Energy Alliance projected monthly bills could rise by 20%, with marginalized communities hit hardest.
National security implications and CCP’s political play
The CPC’s activism has intensified House Republicans’ investigations, including an April inquiry into an undercover video allegedly showing staff advising illegal immigrants on evading U.S. immigration authorities. Two GOP committee chairs called the group a “tool of Chinese influence,” demanding transparency on its foreign funding.
For national security advocates like Lucci, the CPC’s renewable energy push aligns with Beijing’s economic competition. “Decarbonizing New York faster than U.S. infrastructure can handle plays into China’s goal of controlling global green tech markets,” he said. “This isn’t climate action — it’s weaponizing regulations to hobble American energy dominance.”
The CPC’s broader goals, detailed on its website, include mandating universal health care with corporate taxes, funding illegal immigrant programs and “decarbonizing” fossil fuel sites by 2030 — a timeline critics say lacks practicality and oversight.
A bipartisan divide on energy futures
The debate underscores ideological rifts over energy policy. While Democrats frame the law as a climate justice measure, Republicans argue it subsidizes Beijing’s ambitions. “China funds a group to pass policies that cripple U.S. energy, then banks on American innovation to power its own economy,” said Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). “This is a Trojan Horse for economic surrender.”
Hochul’s office defended the law as “commonsense adaptation,” claiming fossil fuel companies “gamed the system” to avoid accountability. Yet legal battles loom: The Trump administration’s lawsuit argues the law oversteps state authority, while utilities like Con Edison have privately warned it risks grid instability by destabilizing traditional energy investments.
A costly convergence of policy and foreign influence
New York’s climate superfund law now stands as a flashpoint in America’s energy and national security debates. With Chinese funding filtering through proxies like the CPC, critics charge the law reinforces Beijing’s geopolitical goals while risking U.S. energy affordability and independence. As legal challenges mount and investigations grow, the story underscores how foreign influence and domestic policy battles increasingly collide in the fight over energy’s future.
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