Environmental Groups Sue Trump Administration Over Climate Data Removal
A coalition of environmental and scientific organizations, represented by the Public Citizen Litigation Group, has initiated a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration. The suit challenges the administration’s actions to remove critical climate and environmental justice information from federal agency websites.
Participants in the Lawsuit
The legal action involves several prominent organizations, including:
- Sierra Club
- Environmental Integrity Project
- Union of Concerned Scientists
- California Communities Against Toxics
The lawsuit was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Allegations Against the Trump Administration
Following the start of his administration, President Trump reportedly began removing references to climate change from agency websites. This initiative has included dismantling offices focused on climate and environmental injustice, which the groups argue severely undermines federal efforts to protect vulnerable communities.
Impact of Deleted Tools
The lawsuit specifically targets the elimination of essential resources such as:
- EJScreen
- Climate and Environmental Justice Screening Tool (CEJST)
- Department of Energy’s Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool
- Community Benefits Plan Map
- Department of Transportation’s Equitable Transportation Community (ETC) Explorer
- Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Future Risk Index
These tools were critical for researchers, advocates, and regulators to identify populations disproportionately affected by environmental issues, including pollution and climate change.
Statements from Legal Representatives
“The agencies’ actions represent an attempt to sell out the health of Americans and the environment, and also to deny access to the information that allows people to advocate for change,” stated Zach Shelley, an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group and the lead counsel for the plaintiffs. “Stripping the public’s access to these resources is part of an unlawful attempt to undermine key environmental protections.”
Jen Duggan, Executive Director of the Environmental Integrity Project, emphasized the implications of this removal: “Removing public information from websites creates dangerous gaps in the data available to communities and decisionmakers about health risks from industrial pollution.”
Calls for Accountability
Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous further condemned these actions, asserting, “These data and tools save lives, and efforts to delete, unpublish, or in any way remove them jeopardize people’s ability to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live safe and healthy lives.”
Moreover, UCS President Gretchen Goldman commented, “The public has a right to access these taxpayer-funded datasets,” highlighting the importance of transparency in environmental data to ensure community health and safety.
Context of the Lawsuit
The lawsuit emerges in a climate where recent executive orders from the Trump administration have aimed at reversing crucial environmental protections, such as facilitating the continued operation of uneconomic coal power plants and expanding coal mining on public lands. These changes raise concerns about the long-term implications for clean air and water standards.
For More Information
Documents related to this case are available here. For further information or to arrange an interview with the litigation team or the plaintiffs, please contact Patrick Davis at pd****@ci*****.org.
