(Bloomberg) -- The US Department of Agriculture is facing a legal challenge over its move to wipe out information on climate change from its websites.
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The USDA’s purge has hurt farmers and advisers who rely on data provided by the agency to access financial support for conservation practices, said the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Working Group in a lawsuit.
On Jan. 30, USDA staff received an email ordering them to “identify and archive or unpublish any landing pages focused on climate change” by “no later than close of business” on the following day, according to the lawsuit. The move violated the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and the Freedom of Information Act, the suit alleges.
The USDA has pushed back against climate-focused policies enacted during the Joe Biden administration. Actions recently taken by the agency include the review of funding from Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to make sure programs are focused on “supporting farmers and ranchers, not DEIA programs or far-left climate programs.”
The USDA said it is coordinating on court filings with the Department of Justice. The DOJ didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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