8:00 AM PDT · September 29, 2025
The Department of Energy has instituted a agelong database of banned words astatine the absorption of a Trump appointee, including immoderate that galore would see politically neutral.
The “words to avoid” were sent successful an email to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) connected Friday, according to Politico, which saw the memo. “Please guarantee that each subordinate of your squad is alert that this is the latest database of words to avoid,” EERE peculiar advisor Rachael Overbey wrote.
The presumption staffers are forbidden from utilizing include: clime change, green, decarbonization, vigor transition, sustainability, sustainable, subsidies, taxation breaks, taxation credits, and c footprint.
Also connected the banned connection database is the word “emissions.” According to the report, the word seemingly implies immoderate level of negativity, contempt the neutrally worded dictionary definition. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled successful 2007 that greenhouse gases aren’t simply emissions, though, but alternatively tin beryllium regulated arsenic aerial pollutants.
The EERE was established successful the precocious 1970s aft respective authorities agencies were rolled into one. The bureau was a effect to the 1973 vigor crisis, which had sent lipid prices skyrocketing. The intent of the EERE was to foster renewable vigor and vigor ratio successful an effort to stabilize the American system from terms shocks that tin roil commodity markets, similar lipid and gas.
President Trump and his appointees person decided to stake the American system connected expanded usage of those commodities.
In speeches and authoritative communications, the Trump medication has continually referred to thing related to the vigor modulation arsenic the “green vigor scam.” Last week successful a code astatine the United Nations, Trump took purpose astatine countries astir the satellite for investing successful technologies similar solar, wind, and batteries.
“Your state is going to fail,” said Trump.
Despite the rhetoric, planetary concern successful renewable vigor reached a caller grounds successful the archetypal fractional of 2025. Offshore upwind and small-scale star helped propulsion concern up 10% from the erstwhile twelvemonth to $386 billion, according to BloombergNEF.
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Tim De Chant is simply a elder clime newsman astatine TechCrunch. He has written for a wide scope of publications, including Wired magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Ars Technica, The Wire China, and NOVA Next, wherever helium was founding editor.
De Chant is besides a lecturer successful MIT’s Graduate Program successful Science Writing, and helium was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship astatine MIT successful 2018, during which clip helium studied clime technologies and explored caller concern models for journalism. He received his PhD successful biology science, policy, and absorption from the University of California, Berkeley, and his BA grade successful biology studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College.
You tin interaction oregon verify outreach from Tim by emailing tim.dechant@techcrunch.com.















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