EDGI’s website governance working group produces technical reports which detail observed website changes. These technical reports have revealed changes such as the Bureau of Land Management deleting critical contextual information about Greater Sage Grouse management during a related regulatory process, and the Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions removing the phrase “clean energy,” leaving only “energy” in its place.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | Report written: July 2, 2018 | In late 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) webpages on climate change were altered to remove mentions of the impact of climate change on occupational safety and health. Climate change … Read more
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Report written: April 23, 2018 | The EPA has removed its “International Priorities” page, which listed “Strong Environmental Institutions,” “Climate Change,” “Air Quality,” “Clean Water,” “Toxic Chemicals,” and “E-Waste” as priority areas. Likewise, the “International Grants and Cooperative Agreements” page and links to information about priorities and grant applications were … Read more
Department of the Interior (DOI) | Report written: January 9, 2018 | DOI’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) removed its climate change webpage and altered language on several webpages describing BLM’s mission, management of public lands, and national priorities. Screenshots
Department of the Interior (DOI) | Report written: December 21, 2017 | 92 documents regarding national parks’ response to climate change have been removed from the National Park Service (NPS) “Climate Friendly Parks Program” website. NPS is part of the Department of the Interior. To become a Climate Friendly Parks (CFP) member, parks are required … Read more
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Report written: December 6, 2017 | The EPA’s Greening EPA website has been altered to remove access to Web resources on climate change adaptation, and to remove wording related to EPA’s own goals for climate change resilience and adaptation. An EPA statement on climate change adaptation and a link to … Read more
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Report written: October 18, 2017 | On April 28, 2017, the EPA removed its website titled “Climate and Energy Resources for State, Local, and Tribal Governments.” Approximately three months later, a new website titled “Energy Resources for State, Local, and Tribal Governments” was launched in its place, with fewer pages … Read more
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) | Report written: October 5, 2017 |The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) removed statistics from the “Federal Response Updates” section on its “Hurricane Maria” webpage. Certain subsections and bullet points reporting statistical metrics, quantifying access to electricity and drinking water, were removed. Additional statistics, descriptive bullet points, and images were … Read more
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Report written: September 19, 2017 | The EPA changed language on the SmartWay Program website, reducing mentions of carbon, greenhouse gasses, and climate change. Terms like “sustainability” and “emissions” replaced mentions of “carbon,” and emphasis on international SmartWay and other climate efforts were reduced. Screenshots
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | Report written: August 20, 2017 | The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has altered climate change language, updated climate change references, and reduced access to a Web resource with information on climate change and human health across several webpages. On the Global Environmental Health pages, … Read more
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | Report written: August 1, 2017 | Between the evenings of July 27 and July 28, USDA removed substantial portions of its Climate Hubs website. The web content was removed for approximately 5 days without notice or explanation and was returned following media inquiries made with the USDA based on … Read more