White House removes energy conservation pages as heatwave hits US
▼ Summary
– The US Department of Energy deleted about 6,000 pages related to energy conservation during a historic heatwave.
– The deletions followed Republican backlash against Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s request for New Yorkers to set AC to 78 degrees to reduce grid strain.
– Setting thermostats between 75 and 78 degrees was previously the official Department of Energy stance, and Republican governors like Greg Abbott have issued similar advice.
– The Trump administration’s deletions were broad, removing pages on water conservation, insulation, and the solar decathlon, though the Internet Archive preserved them.
– Extreme heat causes more deaths in the US than floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined, and setting AC to 78 degrees can help prevent blackouts.
The White House has removed roughly 6,000 web pages related to energy conservation just as a historic heatwave sweeps across the United States. The timing of this deletion appears suspicious, coming on the heels of Republican backlash against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s request for residents to set their air conditioners to 78 degrees to ease strain on the electrical grid.
Conservative figures, including Senator Ted Cruz , who has famously fled extreme weather in Texas , along with Nikki Haley and Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina, quickly condemned the request. They labeled it socialism and even an act of war on women experiencing menopause, despite the GOP’s dubious record on women’s health issues. Yet this guidance is hardly radical. The Department of Energy has long recommended thermostat settings between 75 and 78 degrees during heatwaves. Even Republican governors in deep red states like Texas, including current Governor Greg Abbott, have issued the same advice in the past.
The Trump administration’s deletions are sweeping and indiscriminate. Beyond pages that would support Mamdani’s request, the cuts removed content on water conservation, types of insulation, and the department’s solar decathlon challenge. Fortunately, the Internet Archive has preserved the missing pages for those who still need access.
New York City has seen temperatures top 95 degrees for four consecutive days, including two days above 100 degrees. Such heat places enormous pressure on the electrical grid, especially during a holiday weekend when more people are home. Setting thermostats to 78 degrees can help prevent blackouts that would leave residents without air conditioning and dangerously exposed to the heat. According to data from the CDC and NOAA, extreme heat kills more Americans each year than floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined.
(Source: The Verge)