Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) Report: Trump Administration's Impact on Government Environmental Websites
The Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) reported that the current Trump administration has made significant changes to government environmental websites during its first 100 days, surpassing the changes made during the first Trump administration. EDGI, a nonprofit organization, monitors and documents the loss of access to government environmental information and preserves it for public use. In the initial 100 days of the first Trump administration, there were 371 important changes to websites, while this year saw 632 changes, with a focus on altering content, focus, or links on pages.
Despite having fewer volunteers and monitoring fewer pages this year, EDGI observed an increase in changes to government websites compared to 2017. The group highlighted the removal of information related to environmental justice as a significant trend, noting a total erasure of such content that was not seen in the first Trump administration. The administration's targets included diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and environmental justice, with the elimination of programs, offices, and positions related to these issues through an executive order signed by Trump.
The report by EDGI revealed that the removal of information from government websites began shortly after Trump took office in January. Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tools were among the first to be removed, along with similar tools at other agencies. Climate change information has also been altered or removed from federal websites, with the shutdown of the federal climate change research website globalchange.gov and the cessation of new content on the NOAA site climate.gov, which had been widely used for information on weather patterns, drought conditions, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Gretchen Gehrke, co-founder of EDGI, emphasized the importance of protecting government information on websites, as they serve as a primary means of communication with the public. Gehrke stressed that access to accurate information is crucial for public participation in a democracy. The report underscores the need for oversight in how administrations manage government websites to ensure transparency and accessibility for the public.