Trump’s Energy Department Forbids Staff From Saying ‘climate Change’ Or ‘green’

Trending 1 month ago

8:00 AM PDT · September 29, 2025

The Department of Energy has instituted a agelong database of banned words astatine nan guidance of a Trump appointee, including immoderate that galore would see politically neutral.

The “words to avoid” were sent successful an email to nan Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) connected Friday, according to Politico, which saw nan memo. “Please guarantee that each personnel of your squad is alert that this is nan latest database of words to avoid,” EERE typical advisor Rachael Overbey wrote.

The position staffers are forbidden from utilizing include: ambiance change, green, decarbonization, power transition, sustainability, sustainable, subsidies, taxation breaks, taxation credits, and c footprint. 

Also connected nan banned connection database is nan word “emissions.” According to nan report, nan word apparently implies immoderate level of negativity, contempt nan neutrally worded dictionary definition. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled successful 2007 that greenhouse gases aren’t simply emissions, though, but alternatively tin beryllium regulated arsenic aerial pollutants.

The EERE was established successful nan precocious 1970s aft respective authorities agencies were rolled into one. The agency was a consequence to nan 1973 power crisis, which had sent lipid prices skyrocketing. The intent of nan EERE was to foster renewable power and power ratio successful an effort to stabilize nan American system from value shocks that tin roil commodity markets, for illustration lipid and gas.

President Trump and his appointees person decided to stake nan American system connected expanded usage of those commodities.

In speeches and charismatic communications, nan Trump management has continually referred to thing related to nan power modulation arsenic nan “green power scam.” Last week successful a reside astatine nan United Nations, Trump took purpose astatine countries astir nan world for investing successful technologies for illustration solar, wind, and batteries.

“Your state is going to fail,” said Trump.

Despite nan rhetoric, world finance successful renewable power reached a caller grounds successful nan first half of 2025. Offshore upwind and small-scale star helped push finance up 10% from nan erstwhile twelvemonth to $386 billion, according to BloombergNEF.

Techcrunch event

San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025

Tim De Chant is simply a elder ambiance newsman astatine TechCrunch. He has written for a wide scope of publications, including Wired magazine, nan Chicago Tribune, Ars Technica, The Wire China, and NOVA Next, wherever he was founding editor.

De Chant is besides a teacher successful MIT’s Graduate Program successful Science Writing, and he was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship astatine MIT successful 2018, during which clip he studied ambiance technologies and explored caller business models for journalism. He received his PhD successful biology science, policy, and guidance from nan University of California, Berkeley, and his BA grade successful biology studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College.

You tin interaction aliases verify outreach from Tim by emailing tim.dechant@techcrunch.com.

More