US Energy Department Reportedly Orders Staff to Drop ‘Climate Crisis’ Language

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has reportedly instructed employees in its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) to avoid using terms such as “climate change,” “decarbonization,” and “sustainable,” in what appears to be the latest step in the Trump administration’s push to downplay the climate crisis.

An internal email urged staff to “be conscientious about avoiding any terminology misaligned with the Administration’s perspectives and priorities.” The directive applies not only to public-facing work but also to internal communications. The EERE, ironically, is the government’s largest funder of technologies designed to cut carbon emissions.

The reported list of banned words extends beyond environmental terms like “emissions,” “energy transition,” and “carbon footprint,” to politically charged language such as “tax credits” and “subsidies,” which have been closely tied to President Biden’s green energy initiatives.

Some DOE employees have raised alarms, arguing that such restrictions silence the agency’s mission. “Banning the use of these words would silence key elements of DOE’s mission,” one anonymous staffer said, adding that Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is also cancelling or freezing renewable energy research programs. Another staffer dismissed the news with frustration, saying, “same shit, different day.”

The administration has reportedly circulated a broader list of more than 200 “restricted terms,” including “activism” and “injustice.” Critics say this effort reflects a larger pattern since Trump’s return to the White House, which included scrubbing mentions of climate change from federal websites and cancelling climate-focused programs.

At the United Nations last week, both President Trump and Energy Secretary Wright openly questioned the merits of climate action. Trump called the crisis “the greatest con job ever perpetrated upon the world,” while Wright argued that climate policies only raise energy costs and lower quality of life.

The DOE, however, officially denies issuing such instructions. “There is no directive… instructing employees to avoid using phrases such as ‘climate change,’” agency spokesperson Ben Dietderich said, insisting the department remains committed to “open, honest dialogue about climate science.”

Despite denials, critics see the move as part of a broader strategy to undermine renewable energy funding and minimize public discussion of the climate emergency.

Terminology directives don't change underlying physical-climate exposure, but they do reshape how federal agencies interact with corporates on disclosure and enforcement. Our ESG-strategy and sustainability-due-diligence teams help clients build disclosure that stays defensible across shifting agency language and priorities.