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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
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @06:43PM
The more that is used by utility companies to create power the higher the demand for fossil fuels. Sure there will be more production - to a degree - but I don't think the it will cover the increased usage. Every producer wants the US (and every other market) to use more.
Of course by disagreeing with you I will be labeled misguided and uneducated.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @07:23PM
Compare it the big criticism of the pharma industry - they don't want to develop cures because there is no money in that, they want maintenance drugs that you have to buy every day for the rest of your life.
Same thing with fossil fuels. They would rather we stay addicted to oil, even at $30/barrel than we kick the habit and go all renewable because they earn nothing on a barrel of oil that is not sold.