It’s incredibly important for the United States to be energy independent. The current presidential administration has been very adamant about this. The U.S. has a multitude of energy resources that they can use to make energy independence a complete reality.

Not only will energy independence be more reliable, but it will also help create jobs for many Americans. There’s also something patriotic about desiring for your country to not have to rely on foreign nations to provide them with energy resources.

However, there are foreign adversaries of the United States’ who realize this and want to put an end to the U.S. energy sector. Thanks to the vigilance of this U.S. Senator, warnings have been made as to just who exactly wants to force America to rely on them for sources of energy.

China’s Shadow Over American Energy

At a Wednesday judiciary hearing in the Senate, Texas Senator Ted Cruz unveiled what he describes as a calculated move by China to entangle the United States in a web of dependency on Chinese-controlled green energy technologies. The hearing spotlighted a complex scheme that, according to Cruz, threatens American energy independence.

“We are witnessing right now a systematic campaign against American energy,” Cruz declared. “There is a coordinated assault by the radical Left, backed and paid for by the Chinese Communist Party, to seize control of our courts, to weaponize litigation against US energy producers all in order to undermine American energy dominance.”

At the heart of Cruz’s allegations is Energy Foundation China, an organization with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Drawing from a State Armor report, Cruz highlighted how the CCP is allegedly co-opting American climate advocacy groups to shift the U.S. away from fossil fuels toward green technologies dominated by China: “To secure U.S. dependence, the CCP has been co-opting the progressive American climate change lobby to push a transition from fossil fuels and other critical inputs…onto ‘green’ technologies controlled by China.”

Energy Foundation China, Cruz revealed, has funneled significant funds into U.S.-based climate advocacy groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, known for its aggressive legal tactics. “Their lawsuits are designed to destroy the American energy industry, which happens to perfectly coincide with the political objective of Senate Democrats to destroy the American energy industry,” Cruz asserted.

The senator also pointed to the Climate Judiciary Project, which claims neutrality but reportedly trains judges overseeing climate-related lawsuits. Cruz painted a picture of a coordinated effort: foreign funding from Energy Foundation China, led by former CCP officials, fuels litigation groups that flood U.S. courts with cases against energy companies, which are then adjudicated by judges influenced by advocacy-driven training.

“This three-pronged strategy — foreign funding, mass litigation, and judicial indoctrination — is a full-spectrum assault on American energy independence,” Cruz warned. “And while China drills and digs, we sue and shut down.” He added, “While China prepares for energy dominance, the American Left prepares to attack our own domestic capability.”

Countering Cruz’s narrative, Ranking Member Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) dismissed the allegations as a “conspiracy.” He argued that the fossil fuel industry’s secretive funding practices pose a greater threat. “The hearing ignores that the fossil fuel industry has, for decades, benefited from secret funding to wage war on the American consumer by making energy more expensive and dirtier,” Whitehouse stated.

Whitehouse also questioned the claim that Energy Foundation China is funding U.S. litigation groups, suggesting its focus is on tackling pollution within China. “Fighting Chinese pollution in China […] is a very different thing than having a Chinese conspiracy that funds a litigation group here in the United States,” he said.

Yet, financial records tell a compelling story. According to Influence Watch, Energy Foundation China disbursed nearly $1.02 billion in grants from 2001 to 2020 to various organizations pushing climate reform. The Climate Judiciary Project, though less transparent, has also invested in judicial education programs, raising questions about its influence.

Testifying at the hearing, Scott Walter, president of the Capital Research Center, expressed skepticism about the intentions of Energy Foundation China’s founders. I’m “skeptical that former Chinese communist officials are interested in doing anything that would harm their country,” Walter said, hinting at a strategic agenda behind the foundation’s actions.

Do you believe that China poses a legitimate threat to American energy independency? Let us know what you think by posting in the comments below!