US Department of Energy Deletes Thousands of Pages on Energy Conservation
The US Department of Energy reportedly deleted about 6,000 pages related to energy conservation as a historic heatwave tears across the country.
Republican Outrage and Political Spin
The deletion was suspiciously timed following Republican outrage over Mayor Zohran Mamdani asking New Yorkers to help reduce strain on the grid by setting their AC to 78 degrees. Republicans like Ted Cruz and Nikki Haley quickly pounced, framing the request as socialism and an act of war on women in menopause.
Broad and Indiscriminate Deletions
The deletions by the Trump administration are broad and indiscriminate. While pages that would support Mamdani’s request to lower thermostats were deleted, so too were pages about water conservation, types of insulation, and its solar decathlon challenge.
Heatwave Impact and Energy Conservation
Temperatures topped 95 degrees for four straight days in New York City, including two days over 100 degrees. Such temperatures put significant strain on the electrical grid, especially during holiday weekends. Setting thermostats to 78 degrees can help prevent blackouts that would leave people without air conditioning and vulnerable to the heat.
According to data from the CDC and NOAA, extreme heat is responsible for more deaths in the US than floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined.
