The Environmental Protection Agency’s website will be undergoing a major facelift beginning this weekend by scrapping outdated language on climate change from the previous administration.
Despite President Trump’s policy declarations to roll back former President Barack Obama’s climate regulations, the website is still promoting the rules.
“We want to eliminate confusion by removing outdated language first and making room to discuss how we’re protecting the environment and human health by partnering with states and working within the law,” said J.P. Freire, the agency’s public affairs associate administrator.
The EPA declared last night that the website will begin going through a series of updates to reflect the president’s new direction.
“As EPA renews its commitment to human health and clean air, land, and water, our website needs to reflect the views of the leadership of the agency,” Freire said.
The website fixes were announced as protesters began demonstrations against Trump’s climate policies throughout Washington to mark the president’s 100th day office.
The EPA said the “first page” to be updated will be for the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of Obama’s climate change agenda.
This will reflect Trump’s Executive Order on Energy Independence, calling for a review of the “so-called Clean Power Plan,” EPA said in a statement explaining the forthcoming changes. “Language associated with the Clean Power Plan, written by the last administration, is out-of-date. Similarly, content related to climate and regulation is also under review.”
The Trump administration won a major victory in the implementation of the review on Friday from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. It agreed with the administration to place on hold an unprecedented legal case on the Clean Power Plan’s legality. That would allow the EPA to complete its review toward the ultimate goal of rescinding the regulation, which requires each state to cut its greenhouse gas emissions a third by 2030.
A group of 28 states’ attorneys general, together with over 100 industry groups and energy firms, challenged the Obama plan, arguing that it oversteps EPA’s authority and the Constitution. EPA announced the website changes just hours after the court made the ruling.
EPA explained that the updates to the website are “intended to ensure that the public can use the website to understand the agency’s current efforts,” according to a statement.
“The changes will comply with agency ethics and legal guidance, including the use of proper archiving procedures. For instance, a screenshot of the last administration’s website will remain available from the main page,” the agency said.
