World Resources Institute World Resources Institute CEO Andrew Steer responded: “Every healthy organization faces challenges from time to time. The key is to use such events as an opportunity to improve the way we operate.”

The top brass at one of the nation’s largest environmental groups is in upheaval after one board member was linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and another hosted a controversial fundraiser for President Donald Trump. The World Resources Institute quietly cut ties with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson after a young woman named the Democrat as one of the powerful men with whom Epstein, the accused pedophile who died Aug. 10 in an apparent suicide in jail, ordered her to have sex. After HuffPost sent questions to a spokesman, WRI emailed its staff late Monday announcing Richardson’s resignation from the board. The nonprofit is also facing a staff rebellion over its handling of another board member, billionaire real estate developer Stephen Ross, whose fundraiser for the president sparked a high-profile boycott against companies he’s invested in, including the luxury fitness chains Equinox and SoulCycle. “Every healthy organization faces challenges from time to time,” Andrew Steer, WRI’s chief executive, said in an emailed statement. “The key is to use such events as an opportunity to improve the way we operate.” The twin scandals highlight the growing tension between the work of big environmental groups and the donors whose celebrity or fortunes help fund it. At a moment when the climate crisis is rapidly worsening, the strife at WRI raises questions about what compromises are worth making in pursuit of new resources and expanded reach.

NurPhoto via Getty Images Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was named in the Jeffrey Epstein case.

The problems started last month, when FBI agents arrested Epstein for allegedly sex trafficking dozens of minors in the early 2000s. The accusations put new scrutiny on the moguls and powerbrokers ― including Trump and his predecessor Bill Clinton ― previously accused of raping underage girls provided by the multimillionaire. In court documents unsealed earlier this month, Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein of keeping her as a teenage sex slave, said she was directed to have sex with Richardson. Richardson denied the allegations. In a statement emailed by a spokeswoman, Richardson said his departure from the board had nothing to do with Epstein. “Governor Bill Richardson felt it was time to resign from the board of the World Resources Institute after serving for more than eight years, a tenure that is longer than most board members’ terms,” the statement read. Richardson’s name no longer appears on the WRI’s board. His profile on the WRI website now redirects to an error page. WRI declined to comment on the record about Richardson, but confirmed his departure from the 32-member board. The WRI staff remains in upheaval over the political hobnobbing of Ross, who’s donated about $37 million to WRI, after he hosted a fundraiser earlier this month for Trump. Reelecting a president who’s crippling the U.S. effort to cut climate-changing emissions directly undermines the work WRI is doing, employees said. About 200 staffers signed an internal petition, which HuffPost obtained, demanding WRI hold an open meeting with Ross and overhaul the way the nonprofit appoints board members. “Mr. Ross’s actions pose a serious reputational risk to WRI and materially disadvantages our mission,” the petition reads. “How can we lead on ambitious climate action and work with the most climate-vulnerable communities if our Directors, and by extension our Institute, negate our efforts?” The petition came after management held a meeting last Thursday with staffers to hear out concerns over Ross’s seat on the board. Employees sent the petition to their bosses on Friday and emailed the document to an all-staff listserv on Monday.

Nicholas Hunt via Getty Images Billionaire developer Stephen Ross's fundraiser for Trump has sparked a high-profile boycott of businesses in which he's invested.