White House Removes Thousands of Energy Conservation Web Pages Amidst U.S. Heatwave

The US Department of Energy has reportedly removed around 6,000 pages related to energy conservation just as a historic heatwave sweeps across the nation. This deletion comes on the heels of Republican backlash against Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s suggestion for New Yorkers to set their air conditioning to 78 degrees to ease the burden on the power grid. Prominent figures like Ted Cruz, Nikki Haley, and Representative Nancy Mace quickly criticized the request, labeling it as socialism and an attack on women experiencing menopause, despite the Republican Party’s supposed concern for women’s health.

Setting thermostats to 78 degrees is standard advice during extreme heat, and the Department of Energy has previously recommended that Americans keep their thermostats between 75 and 78 degrees. Even Republican governors in traditionally conservative states, such as Texas, have echoed this guidance, including current governor Greg Abbott.

The deletions made during the Trump administration appear to be sweeping and indiscriminate. While pages that could have supported Mamdani’s thermostat recommendation were removed, so were resources on water conservation, insulation types, and the solar decathlon challenge. Fortunately, the Internet Archive has preserved the lost pages.

New York City has experienced temperatures exceeding 95 degrees for four consecutive days, with two days surpassing 100 degrees. Such extreme heat places immense pressure on the electrical grid, particularly when more residents are at home during a holiday weekend. Adjusting thermostats to 78 degrees can help avert blackouts, ensuring that people remain safe and cool during the heatwave.

Data from the CDC and NOAA indicates that extreme heat causes more fatalities in the US than floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined.