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posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:22AM   Printer-friendly
from the EPA-has-been-trumped dept.

The Trump administration has frozen grants and contracts by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to ProPublica, and blocked employees from providing updates on this change via social media. This could have big effects on the agency's budget and severely undercut its efforts.

In an email obtained by ProPublica, one EPA contractor writes that: "The new EPA administration has asked that all contract and grant awards be temporarily suspended, effective immediately. Until we receive further clarification, this includes task orders and work assignments."

Also, employees have been banned from providing updates to reporters or on social media. The internal memo specifies that no press releases will go out to external audiences, there will be "no blog messages" and media requests will be carefully screened. (Interestingly, the Department of Energy, a fellow federal agency, recently released new guidelines that specifically protects contractors and ensures that they can state their personal opinions.)

Source: The Verge

takyon: Here are some related stories happening at the same time:

USDA scrambles to ease concerns after researchers were ordered to stop publishing news releases, other documents
USDA disavows gag-order emailed to scientific research unit
Commerce nominee Ross promises to protect "peer-reviewed research" at NOAA
CDC postpones climate conference ahead of Trump takeover
Badlands National Park goes rogue with climate-change tweets


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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by aristarchus on Wednesday January 25 2017, @09:34AM

    by aristarchus (2645) on Wednesday January 25 2017, @09:34AM (#458437) Journal

    Um, Soylentils, isn't this where it is customary to say: "It's not censorship unless the government is doing it!" Oh, wait, it is the government? The Administration of tiny crowds, tiny hands, and tiny brains, it would seem. Post-factual "alternative science", here we go!

    Starting Score:    1  point
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    Total Score:   4  
  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @01:55PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @01:55PM (#458481)

    According to unnamed sources in the CIA, Kim Jong Un has a bigger penis than Donald Trump.