Trump’s Energy Department forbids staff from saying ‘climate change’ or ‘green’
The Department of Energy has instituted a long list of banned words at the direction of a Trump appointee, including some that many would consider politically neutral.
The “words to avoid” were sent in an email to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) on Friday, according to Politico, which saw the memo. “Please ensure that every member of your team is aware that this is the latest list of words to avoid,” EERE special advisor Rachael Overbey wrote.
The terms staffers are forbidden from using include: climate change, green, decarbonization, energy transition, sustainability, sustainable, subsidies, tax breaks, tax credits, and carbon footprint.
Also on the banned word list is the term “emissions.” According to the report, the term apparently implies some level of negativity, despite the neutrally worded dictionary definition. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases aren’t simply emissions, though, but instead can be regulated as air pollutants.
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