Trump's Pollution Database: A Story Of Removal And Repercussions

During his tenure, former US President Donald Trump's administration removed and altered a significant amount of climate information from federal agency websites. This included the removal of databases such as TOXMAP, an interactive map that allowed users to track pollution sources in the US. The Trump administration's actions were criticised for reducing transparency and hindering efforts to address climate change and environmental justice. There were also concerns about the impact of these removals on public health and the ability to track infectious diseases. Additionally, Trump signed multiple executive orders that rolled back environmental regulations and withdrew the US from international agreements like the Paris climate accord.

Trump's administration removed TOXMAP, an interactive pollution map

During his presidency, Donald Trump's administration removed TOXMAP, an interactive pollution map, in a move that some say was designed to hide the results of the White House's rollbacks of environmental regulations. TOXMAP was a federal database that allowed the public to track pollution in the US. It was established in 1980 in response to public outcry over toxic waste dumps, which posed a threat to the health of nearby residents. The map was also used by researchers, students, and activists to pinpoint sources of pollution.

The removal of TOXMAP is just one example of the Trump administration's efforts to censor public data and environmental regulation. In the first two weeks of Trump's second term, his administration began to scrub critical environmental resources and datasets from federal agency websites. This included the removal of webpages, fact sheets, and emissions and financial incentives calculators related to President Obama's 2015 Clean Power Plan. The Clean Power Plan was aimed at reviving the coal mining industry and easing restrictions on the automotive industry.

In addition to removing TOXMAP and information related to the Clean Power Plan, the Trump administration also targeted Biden-era climate policies, including terminating all federal environmental justice offices, positions, programs, and activities. These efforts aimed to reduce long-standing disparities in pollution and climate impacts, with a focus on poorer areas and communities of color. The administration also withdrew the US from several international agreements, including the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization.

The removal of TOXMAP and other critical environmental data has been met with concern and resistance from environmentalists, scientists, and archivists. Groups like the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) have worked to document and archive the changes made by the Trump administration to federal websites and data. They have also helped build publicly accessible databases to replace those that have been removed.

Over 2,000 datasets disappeared from data.gov

Since his inauguration on January 20, 2025, former President Donald Trump's administration removed over 2,000 datasets from data.gov, the largest repository of U.S. government open data on the internet. This removal of data is part of a wider pattern of the Trump administration's attempts to suppress and censor public data.

During his first term, the administration documented a widespread campaign to suppress climate and environmental data. For example, the administration removed webpages, fact sheets, and emissions and financial incentives calculators related to President Obama's 2015 Clean Power Plan. Trump also withdrew and rewrote the Clean Power Plan, aiming to revive the coal mining industry and relieve the automotive industry of environmental regulations.

In addition to the removal of data, the Trump administration also targeted Biden-era climate policies, including the termination of all federal environmental justice offices, positions, programs, and activities. The administration also removed access to the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), a public web tool that allowed users to locate communities facing marginalization and disproportionate climate and pollution impacts.

The removal of the 2,000 datasets from data.gov is significant as it limits public access to crucial information about climate change and health. Environmental and archivist organizations, researchers, and citizens are working to save government resources from disappearing entirely. They are using tools such as the Internet Archive's "Wayback Machine" to archive web pages that have been saved at different points in time.

The Trump administration's actions have faced widespread criticism and concern from environmentalists, scientists, and the public. Some view the removal of data as an attempt to diminish Americans' concerns about the environment and obscure the results of the administration's rollbacks of environmental regulations.

Trump withdrew and rewrote Obama's Clean Power Plan

On March 28, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order to withdraw and rewrite former President Obama's Clean Power Plan. Obama's plan, proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2014, was aimed at combating climate change by setting state targets for reducing carbon emissions. Each state was given the freedom to decide how to achieve these targets, with the possibility of the EPA stepping in if a state refused to submit a plan.

Trump's executive order directed the EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to review the Clean Power Plan. Within days, Pruitt instructed EPA staff to remove climate change information from the agency's website and modify search results for "Clean Power Plan" to feature a page promoting Trump's executive order. Trump's order was intended to boost the coal mining and automotive industries by removing what he called a “job-killing regulation".

In May 2019, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced plans to change how the agency calculates the health risks of air pollution. This resulted in fewer health-related deaths being reported and made it easier to roll back Obama's Clean Power Plan. The new plan, known as the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, was published in June 2019 and replaced the Obama-era plan.

The ACE rule was the Trump administration's attempt to adhere to the legal requirement to regulate carbon pollution while minimizing changes for the power utility industry. Preliminary research suggests that the ACE rule will have a negligible impact on reducing carbon emissions. In April 2020, Trump issued new vehicle emissions standards, projected to increase annual US emissions by about one-fifth.

Trump's actions on environmental policies have faced widespread criticism. During his first year in office, over 200 web pages providing climate information were removed, and mentions of climate change were deleted from others. The Trump administration also removed access to tools and webpages that provided information on environmental policies and initiatives. These actions have been seen as attempts to suppress public data and diminish Americans' environmental concerns.

Trump's administration removed White House pages on the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ)

During his tenure, former US President Donald Trump's administration removed White House pages on the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ). The CEQ is a division within the Executive Office of the President that coordinates federal environmental and energy policy efforts. It works closely with federal agencies and other White House offices on policy initiatives.

The removal of the CEQ webpage was part of a broader pattern of the Trump administration's efforts to scrub critical environmental resources and datasets from federal agency websites. This included the deletion of webpages, fact sheets, and tools related to former President Obama's Clean Power Plan, which aimed to address climate change and reduce emissions.

In addition to the removal of the CEQ webpage, the Trump administration also rolled back regulations that required the federal government to consider climate change and sea-level rise when making decisions about infrastructure. They also replaced the Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy rule, which did not cap emissions, and issued new vehicle emissions standards that were projected to significantly increase carbon dioxide emissions.

The administration's actions sparked widespread concern among environmentalists, scientists, and citizens. Many feared that the removal of these resources would make it more difficult for the public to access important environmental information and track the government's actions on climate change and pollution.

Furthermore, the Trump administration's attempts to suppress and censor public data related to the environment extended beyond the removal of webpages. They also included the shutdown of TOXMAP, an interactive pollution map that allowed users to identify contaminated areas and track pollution sources. This further limited the public's ability to access information about environmental issues and hold the government accountable for its actions.

Trump's team paused federal grants and loans

During his presidency, Donald Trump has been criticized for his administration's stance on climate change and environmental protection. In the first two weeks of his second term, the Trump administration began removing critical environmental resources and datasets from federal agency websites, including the removal of White House pages on the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). These divisions within the Executive Office of the President coordinate federal environmental and scientific efforts, working closely with agencies and other offices on environmental and energy policies.

Additionally, over 200 web pages providing climate information were omitted during Trump's first year in office, and mentions of climate and climate change were removed from other pages. The Trump administration also rolled back regulations that required the federal government to consider climate change and sea-level rise when building infrastructure.

In March 2017, Trump signed an executive order to withdraw and rewrite the Clean Power Plan established under the Obama administration. This led to the removal of climate change information from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) website and a shift in how the EPA calculates health risks associated with air pollution, making it easier to roll back the Clean Power Plan.

Furthermore, in September 2019, the Trump administration replaced the Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy rule, which did not cap emissions. The administration also repealed the Clean Water Rule and made changes to the EPA's pollution-control policies, benefiting the chemicals industry. These actions have been met with concern and resistance from environmentalists, scientists, and academic groups.

In terms of specific actions related to grants and loans, there has been recent news of a U.S. judge extending a pause on the Trump administration's plan to freeze federal grants, loans, and other financial assistance. This decision was made to prevent a potentially "catastrophic" impact on organizations that heavily rely on federal funding to function. The judge's ruling stated that the funding freeze may have overstepped Congress's constitutional authority over government spending. This ruling was celebrated by advocacy and nonprofit groups, who argued that the policy would have been a "reckless attempt to halt funding."

Overall, the Trump administration's actions on environmental data removal and the plan to freeze federal grants and loans have faced opposition and criticism from various groups, including scientists, environmentalists, and advocacy organizations.

Frequently asked questions