President Donald Trump listens to a question from a reporter during a press briefing at the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
"NASEM's decision to do a fast-track study on greenhouse gas emissions and endangerment in response to the EPA rule undermines the legitimacy of the National Academies," Daren Bakst, Director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Center for Energy and Environment, told Fox News Digital.
"The process shows the numerous problems with what they are doing. On August 7, NASEM announced they were doing a report to be finished in September. That is an incredible rush job that by itself undermines the legitimacy of what they are doing. Likely, the report has already been written in whole or in part, given the timing. This rush gives the impression they have their conclusions and are just working backwards. "
Conservatives have long argued that groups tied to Arabella Advisors operate as a "dark money" network, influencing policy debates and shaping research priorities behind the scenes. This dynamic reflects a growing entanglement between research institutions and ideologically driven funding streams.
The concern is heightened by the fact that NASEM derives roughly 85% of its budget from federal funds.
EPA HEAD LEE ZELDIN DEFENDS REPEALING OBAMA-ERA CLIMATE CHANGE REGULATION WHEN PRESSED BY CNN HOST
Former President Barack Obama (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
"For example, in a recent so-called climate science assessment, only 22% of the authors had PhDs, which was equaled by the 22% of authors who worked for environmental activist groups. Counting Democrat politicians who were also co-authors, the NAS assessment had more environmental activists writing the report than actual scientists. NAS is a joke and has no credibility at all."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a NASEM spokesperson said, "This fast-track study is being funded by private donations, and is intended to inform public comments requested by EPA."
"The New Venture Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization that uses a fiscal sponsorship model to support a wide range of nonpartisan projects," a New Venture Fund spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "We fully support efforts to increase funding for foundational science and proudly served as Science Philanthropy Alliance’s fiscal sponsor until it spun off in 2023."
"Arabella Advisors is an independent organization and one of our many vendors. They do not 'manage' New Venture Fund or have any say in our funding or fiscal sponsorship decisions."
The revelation comes as the Trump administration seeks to rescind the Obama-era greenhouse gas endangerment finding, a cornerstone of climate regulation that critics say has strangled American energy production.
The 45-day public comment period for the proposal is set to end in mid-September.
The 2009 Endangerment Finding, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), declared that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide "threaten both the public health and the public welfare of current and future generations."
This finding established the EPA’s legal obligation under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
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Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters Building in Washington DC (Getty)
In March, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin pledged to roll back the assessment, claiming it has fueled an avalanche of regulations that have cost the U.S. economy over $1 trillion. He doubled down again in July during a speech in Indiana, delivered against a backdrop of trucks, while slamming the Biden-Harris Administration’s electric vehicle mandate.
"With this proposal, the Trump EPA is proposing to end sixteen years of uncertainty for automakers and American consumers," Zeldin said, adding that regulatory relief will give U.S. consumers affordable choices when car shopping.
An Arabella spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Arabella "does not fund any organizations."
"We are a professional services firm that provides administrative and operational support such as compliance, HR, and accounting to nonprofit clients. We are not a donor and we are not a funder."
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/leftist-taxpayer-funded-academy-sparks-backlash-after-moving-against-trumps-rollback-of-key-regulation