Left’s top renewable energy watchdog is not legally recognized.

Is the Energy and Policy Institute Hiding Something?

When it comes to exposing dark money networks in politics, the Energy and Policy Institute is often the go-to source for mainstream media. But what they don’t tell you is that this so-called “watchdog” group operates in the shadows, hiding its donors and financial information.

Despite its mission to “expose attacks on renewable energy and counter misinformation by fossil fuel and utility interests,” the Energy and Policy Institute seems to resemble the very “front-groups” it targets. Its incorporation status allows it to conceal its owners and funders, and its staff is full of veterans of the renewable energy industry.

Unincorporated and Unaccountable

Unlike most think tanks, the Energy and Policy Institute is not a nonprofit, nor is it registered as a for-profit business. The group is technically an “unincorporated association,” which means it is not bound to the strict lobbying and political spending limitations and financial disclosure requirements that standard nonprofit groups must follow. Nor does it need to file corporate registration records that would disclose its owners.

Despite this lack of transparency, the mainstream media treats the institute like any other think tank, quoting its work in hundreds of news articles since 2015.

Shrouded in Secrecy

The Energy and Policy Institute discloses no information on its location, owners, or funders on its website. Its “about” page includes nothing more than a mission statement, the names of a few staffers, and a land acknowledgment.

Little is known about the Energy and Policy Institute’s sources of funding. However, tax forms show that former Google CEO and Democratic billionaire donor Eric Schmidt’s private charity, the Schmidt Foundation, granted $4,321,250 to the Sustainable Markets Foundation in 2019, in part to support the Energy and Policy Institute.

But the Sustainable Markets Foundation, an environmentalist charity financed by major left-wing institutions, makes no reference to the Energy and Policy Institute in its tax filings. Investigative researcher Parker Thayer speculates that the Energy and Policy Institute may be a fiscally sponsored project of the Sustainable Markets Foundation, allowing it to operate in the shadows while avoiding financial disclosures.

So, is the Energy and Policy Institute hiding something? It certainly seems that way.