California law firm Sher Edling received more than $3 million in unreported dark money to advance high-profile climate lawsuits on behalf of dozens of Democratic-led cities and states, according to a congressional report obtained Monday. washington free beacon.
Reports from the Senate Commerce Committee and House Oversight Committee found that Schell Edlin received $2.9 million last year from the Accountability Collective Action Fund, a shadow group run by the New Venture Fund.
Because the contributions were made in 2023, New Venture Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based dark money group, is not required to disclose the contributions until it files its next annual Form 990 with the IRS in mid-November.
Sher Edling also received a previously unreported check for $235,000 from the Tides Foundation in 2022, A giving organization that donated a staggering $667 million to dozens of progressive causes in 2022its latest tax filing shows.
The newly discovered funding reveals how powerful progressive interests continue to join forces with Democrats to punish oil and gas companies.
Sher Edling was formed in 2016 to handle the first high-stakes litigation of its kind against the oil and gas industry, Blame the industry for global warming and hold it financially responsible for extreme weather events such as hurricanes and tornadoes.
Most of Shel Edlin's cases are pending in state courts, although the oil industry has urged them to sue in federal court. If successful, The lawsuits could force oil companies to pay billions of dollars in climate damages to local and state governments.
Sher Edling will receive the bulk of the settlement under her legal services contract.
As 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, Venture Capital and Tidal Foundation are not legally required to disclose their donors. Together, In 2022 alone, the two groups received $1.3 billion in donations and grants from anonymous donors.
therefore, It's unclear who hired these organizations to send grants to Sher Edlin.
Since its founding in 2016, Sher Edling has agreed to represent dozens of states and cities in climate-related cases, including Delaware, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Baltimore , and Honolulu.
In these cases, Democratic prosecutors hold oil and gas industry responsible for global warming and have For decades, they deceived consumers about the downstream effects of their petroleum products.
Critics slammed the lawsuit, calling it ” Bankruptcy of oil and gas companies through backdoors and tying the industry to local emissions. Still, activists say the lawsuits are an important part of broader efforts to curb reliance on fossil fuels and promote green energy.
“Nonetheless, the Commission's investigation revealed Left-wing groups have funded, and continue to fund, the company’s anti-energy laws,” concluded a bicameral Republican report released Monday.
“Such funding raises important questions that Congress should consider, such as whether third-party litigation funding should be transparent or whether donations of 'non-profit' funds to for-profit companies should be restricted.”
“Elected officials in Congress and the public should pay close attention to how organizations, such as those detailed in this memo, Ability to influence the policy and regulatory environment that affects key industries and consumers caught in the balance,” it added.
Including funds mentioned in the report, Since 2017, Sher Edling has raised a total of nearly $14 million from dark money nonprofits.
While the funding comes entirely from the Accountability Collective Action Fund and the Tides Foundation, Some of these can be traced back to the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation.
The funding sources of these groups remain unknown.
The report is the latest development in a year-long investigation into Schell Edlin and his funding mechanisms, led by Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and House Oversight Committee Chairman Led by James Comer (R-KY).
Cruz launched the investigation after reviewing then-President Joe Biden's nominee to head the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in early 2023, Ann Carlson.
Carlson did not disclose that she had provided pro bono legal services to Shel Edlin. It was later revealed that Carlson secretly raised money for Shel Edlin and helped the firm recruit plaintiffs to represent them in court.
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