Today, the peaceful transition of power took place, with President Barack Obama passing the White House baton over to President Donald Trump.
Behind the glitz and glamor and pomp and circumstance came another key White House transition: the Trump White House has gotten rid of the climate change section of the White House website. The URL www.whitehouse.gov/energy/climate-change now takes those surfing the internet to a page which “could not be found.”
Journalist Brian Kahn of ClimateCentral.com was the first to point this out on Twitter. This is what it looks like for those who go to the WhiteHouse.gov web domain for climate change.
Image Credit: WhiteHouse.gov
Here’s what it looked like before Trump assumed the presidency.
Image Credit: WhiteHouse.gov
“America First Energy Plan”
The new Trump White House website does have a portion on energy, which details his “America First Energy Plan.” The theme of putting “America first” served as the central thesis of Trump’s inaugural address.
“The Trump Administration is committed to energy policies that lower costs for hardworking Americans and maximize the use of American resources, freeing us from dependence on foreign oil. For too long, we’ve been held back by burdensome regulations on our energy industry,” reads that web page. “President Trump is committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule.”
The “America First Energy Plan” web portal also promotes the use of “clean coal” and “reviving America’s coal industry,” as well as tapping into the U.S. bounty of shale oil and gas via the use of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). The term “fracking,” though, is not used.
“The Trump Administration will embrace the shale oil and gas revolution to bring jobs and prosperity to millions of Americans,” it reads. “We must take advantage of the estimated $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, especially those on federal lands that the American people own. We will use the revenues from energy production to rebuild our roads, schools, bridges and public infrastructure.”
The new web section does pay some homage to environmental protection, but there is no mention of climate change. The word “climate” appears only once — and that’s when the Trump administration proclaims its intention to put President Obama’s Climate Action Plan on the chopping block.
“[O]ur need for energy must go hand-in-hand with responsible stewardship of the environment,” reads the website. “Protecting clean air and clean water, conserving our natural habitats, and preserving our natural reserves and resources will remain a high priority. President Trump will refocus the EPA on its essential mission of protecting our air and water.”
DeSmog has reached out for comment to the Trump White House senior level staff and communications team and will update this article with their comments if we receive a response.
Update: The Obama White House now has an archived website, which includes its climate change section.
