Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg met privately with the leader of a nonprofit organization advocating gas stove bans and electric vehicle mandates, according to records that shed light on how Biden's Cabinet official prioritizes his time.
Buttigieg met in person with Rocky Mountain Institute's new CEO Jon Creyts in November, according to a calendar obtained by government watchdog Americans for Public Trust.
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The Rocky Mountain Institute, which Creyts described as an "internationally recognized leader on global energy issues and climate change," advocates carbon-free buildings, electricity, and transportation, including freight, public transportation fleets, and a nationwide electric vehicle charging network.
Part of the group's goal is "ending tailpipe emissions to create cleaner air, save millions of lives, and align the transportation sector with a 1.5ºC target."
“After APT revealed last year that Secretary Buttigieg privately consulted with numerous with dark-money environmental groups, we now learn that he doubled down on his misplaced dedication to the climate cult by meeting with the radicals who want to ban gas stoves and eliminate fossil fuels," Americans for Public Trust Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland told the Washington Examiner.
Sutherland added that Buttigieg's actions are the "absolute peak of hypocrisy" because he is "cozying up to these far-left green activists while crisscrossing the country in high-emitting, taxpayer-funded private jets — all while air travel delays and train derailments on his watch have wrecked havoc on regular Americans."
Buttigieg recently approved a series of grants totaling $1.7 billion to transform public bus fleets from diesel to low- and zero-carbon, making the total Biden administration expenditure on the transition $3.3 billion. An additional $5 billion is expected over the next three years.
According to Fox News, the Rocky Mountain Institute confirmed the meeting between Creyts and Buttigieg was indeed "focused on RMI’s work to electrify the transportation sector, including electric vehicles, vehicle charging infrastructure, and other clean mobility solutions."
Some of the Rocky Mountain Institute's advocacy has been for states to adopt California's gas-powered vehicle ban, which the Golden State plans to phase out by 2035.
"Business-as-usual cannot be an option if the U.S. and the world are to meet our climate goals," an April post by the group reads. "The path forward is clear, and there is no time to waste."
While the Rocky Mountain Institute has several U.S.-based offices, its only international location is in Beijing, China, where it has collaborated with the government there to phase out fossil fuels. Creyts helped initiate the Rocky Mountain Institute's China efforts.
"How can Buttigieg claim to be focused on improving America’s infrastructure when he consults with a group that is known to be working with the Chinese government — a hostile foreign power whose own global infrastructure plan is expressly designed to undermine America’s national interests?" Sutherland said.
The Rocky Mountain Institute has written 30 reports with policy recommendations and transition pathways for China, ranging from specific industry decarbonization phasing to provincial power system audits and "green power procurement" plans.
It worked with the Chinese government-run National Development and Reform Commission in 2013 in order to create a plan for "China's revolution in energy consumption and production to 2050," aimed at replacing oil and gas infrastructure.
The organization is a member of Chinese government-tied China Clean Transportation Partnership, and Rocky Mountain Institute board member Wei Ding used to be chairman of a bank owned in part by the Chinese government, China International Capital Corporation.
When pressed about Buttigieg's meeting with Creyts and how it influenced policy, the department did not comment. Instead, a spokesperson sent a statement on how the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is funding a low and no-emission bus program.
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"The program is funding new American-made busses that are being built by American workers. Some of these busses are electric, while others are hybrid electric-gas busses," the spokesperson told the Washington Examiner, meaning to write "buses." "Regardless of whether you ride the bus or not, this will lower costs for taxpayers and at the same time improve air quality for everyone."
The Rocky Mountain Institute did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.