Deleted Under Trump, Minneapolis Posts EPA Climate Data

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The city of Minneapolis has joined cities around the country in posting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s climate data that was deleted after the Trump administration took office. The posted data is a snapshot of the EPA site before climate the change information was removed.

Back in April, the EPA announced its updated page reflected President Trump’s executive order on energy. "Language associated with the Clean Power Plan, written by the last administration, is out of date," the EPA said. "Similarly, content related to climate and regulation is also being reviewed."

In addition to Minneapolis, cities including Atlanta, Boston, Houston, San Francisco and Seattle have also posted the information.

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"Recognizing that climate change is real, the City is helping make sure people have access to information on it," the city said in a statement. "The City is committed to taking action to adapt to climate threats while reducing its dependence on fossil fuels."

The webpages contain information on the basic science behind climate change, the ways weather is impacted from increased greenhouse gas emissions and actions the federal government has taken to reduce the impact. Other cities, academic institutions and organizations can post the same information to their own websites.

"When we burn fossil fuels such as coal and gas, we pump more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere," the city said. "This buildup creates a blanket effect, trapping in heat around the world. If nothing is done to halt this process, the planet we leave our children will be hotter with more violent weather, fewer species and disrupted systems such as food chains."

The EPA’s deleted climate data is posted here.

Photo credit: AP Photo/David Goldman