The United States Department of Agriculture has announced that it will be restoring climate-related information on its websites after facing a lawsuit earlier this year from agriculture and environmental groups. These groups argued that farmers heavily rely on this critical information to adapt to the changing climate and warming temperatures.
In January, following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the USDA’s communications office directed employees to remove any landing pages focused on climate change and review other pages that mentioned climate for potential removal. This policy was first reported by Politico and led to a lawsuit filed by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY), the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Environmental Working Group.
This week, the USDA filed a letter to a U.S. district judge in the Southern District of New York, stating that they will restore all climate-related web content that was removed post-inauguration, including web pages and interactive tools that were part of the plaintiffs’ complaint. The agency also committed to complying with federal laws regarding future publication decisions involving climate information.
The decision by the USDA to restore the climate resources online was seen as a significant win for NOFA-NY and its members. Marcie Craig, the executive director of the organization, expressed relief and satisfaction with the USDA’s reversal of their previous policy.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are represented by the environmental law firm Earthjustice and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Earthjustice associate attorney Jeff Stein emphasized that the removal of climate change-related web pages by the USDA was unlawful, and the agency’s decision to restore them without a court order was a positive development.
The reinstatement of climate resources by the USDA comes at a time when U.S. growers have been facing challenges from the Trump administration, including funding freezes for programs supporting local food systems, climate resiliency efforts, and rural clean energy projects. Craig acknowledged that while the USDA’s decision to restore some pages is a positive step, there is still cautious optimism about the agency’s future actions.
The removal of climate web pages and funding freezes have had a detrimental impact on farmers, according to Craig. Access to vital information and resources for climate-smart agriculture practices was hindered, affecting growers who rely on these tools to make informed decisions.
The USDA has committed to reuploading most of the climate data over the next two weeks and will provide updates on its progress to the court. The hearing that was scheduled later this month has been adjourned, but the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction to restore the climate-related web pages remains pending.
Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council will continue to monitor the USDA’s actions to ensure that they follow through on their commitment to restore the climate resources online. Grist, a popular environmental news outlet, has made it clear that advertisers have no role in their editorial decisions. This commitment to editorial independence sets Grist apart from many other media organizations that may be influenced by advertisers.
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