Trump Administration officials are systematically editing Department of Energy websites to strip references to climate change, downplay impacts of fossil fuels and scale back benefits of clean energy.
Across the Department of Energy, Trump Administration officials are systematically editing Departmental websites to strip references to climate change, downplay impacts of fossil fuels and scale back benefits of clean energy. On April 6, DOE significantly modified its website on climate change, removing a video discussing the Paris Agreement and links to climate reports. Within the Wind Energy Office, DOE removed comparisons between wind and fossil fuels including the fact that wind is a source of “emission-free” renewable energy. Educational webpages on energy production were edited to remove information about the human health effects of burning coal.
These are just the latest developments in what has been a troubling recent record of interference at DOE. In March, staff reported receiving guidance not to use the words “climate change,” “emissions reductions,” or the “Paris Agreement” in written memos and briefings. And in December, Trump transition officials circulated an alarming questionnaire attempting to single out employees who had worked on climate change.