Christopher Schuler, christopher.schuler@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC - Today, amidst news reports and rumors of federal government website information being deleted, changed, or made inaccessible at 5:00pm ET today, the Sierra Club again reiterated its call on the Trump Administration to protect and preserve critical information the American people rely on. Earlier today, staff at the U.S. Department of Agriculture received instructions to delete all mentions of “climate change” from the agency’s website, apparently in an effort to comply with Trump’s misguided Day One executive orders. Additional efforts have been under way across other agencies to delete, bury, or unpublish other specific words or websites, according to numerous media reports.
Just this week, the Sierra Club submitted multiple Freedom of Information Act requests across key government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, seeking to compel the administration to preserve critical environmental data from being deleted or unpublished. Sierra Club and its allies are continuing to archive as much data as possible, but use of the FOIA process adds an added level of legal protection. In the past, courts have sanctioned agency personnel for destroying info that is the subject of a pending FOIA request.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous released the following statement:
“A plan for a modern day book burning is not a plan for American families. By stripping taxpayers from having the ability to access life-saving websites and information – websites and information paid for by taxpayers – Donald Trump will be putting families across the country in peril. How will those in the eye of yet another deadly storm know that they have all the resources they need for disaster and emergency preparedness if Ready.gov is unavailable? How will those struggling to recover from climate-fueled disasters request life-saving resources from DisasterAssistance.gov? How many families hoping to visit our country’s national parks will have those plans dashed if and when Recreation.gov goes offline?
“The Sierra Club is fighting to preserve and protect not only our environment but also the most routine and direct way the American people interact with their government: its public-facing websites. From information on standard government services to the countless troves of life-saving environmental and health data, the Federal government has an obligation to preserve and make available this information—regardless of who is president.
“Donald Trump continues to wreak havoc and create mass confusion in a desperate attempt to distract the country from the fact that does not have a plan to help American families.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.