Farmers Win Climate Data Victory in USDA Lawsuit

“We’re glad that USDA recognized that its blatantly unlawful purge of climate-change-related information is harming farmers and communities across the country,” said Jeffrey Stein, an associated attorney for Earthjustice, a nonprofit which represented the plaintiffs, in a statement. “Farmers depend on USDA’s websites to protect their farms from droughts, wildfires, and extreme weather. We stand ready to ensure that USDA follows through on its promise to restore these crucial resources.”

The data included pages on federal funding opportunities, clean energy projects in rural areas, and the Forest Service’s “Climate Risk Viewer,” which offers detail maps on potential impacts to forests and other rural land. In a letter to the judge, a DOJ lawyer representing the USDA said the process of restoring the pages “is already underway,” and that it would be largely complete within two weeks — saying isn’t the same as doing, of course, but it seems like a step in the right direction.

The Trump administration has been on the losing end of dozens of court judgments, of course, but in general its response has been surly disregard. Judicially unfrozen funds remain frozen, illegally fired civil servants remain fired, illegally renditioned humans remain in foreign gulags — in that context, it seems notable that the government is voluntarily repopulating its websites with “climate change crap,” perhaps indicating that the agricultural lobby, enormous as it is, may actually have some clout.

“The restoration of these webpages and tools marks a significant victory for the climate, the environment and farmers,” said Anne Schechinger, of the Environmental Working Group, which participated in the lawsuit. “The Trump administration’s reversal in response to this legal challenge highlights the critical importance of public interest advocates standing up in the name of transparency and government accountability.”