EPA removes climate science site from public view

April 29, 2017 at 10:00PM

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that its website would be "undergoing changes" to better represent the new direction the agency is taking, triggering the removal of several agency websites containing detailed climate data. One website that appeared to be gone had been cited to challenge statements made by new EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Another provided detailed information on the previous administration's Clean Power Plan, including fact sheets about greenhouse gas emissions on the state and local levels and how different demographic groups were affected.

"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," J.P. Freire, the agency's associate administrator for public affairs, said in a statement. "We want to eliminate confusion by removing outdated language first and making room to discuss how we're protecting the environment and human health by partnering with states and working within the law." Katharine Hayhoe, a Texas Tech climate scientist, in response to the website change, said: "It's hard to understand why facts require revision."

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