The new regime of the Environmental Protection Agency has been working hard towards making their stand on climate change clear to the public. Just as people were marching for climate change on Saturday, the EPA made their own move by changing the climate change page on their website.
"The Page Is Being Updated"
Just as people were making their way to the White House for the climate march on Saturday amidst sweltering heat, the EPA web page on climate change was being altered. People who wished to look at the webpage on Saturday were met with the sign: "This page is being updated," leaving only a link to the archived version of the Obama-era climate change webpage.
What's more, the sign was accompanied by a message stating that the update is being made so as to reflect the new priorities of the EPA under the leadership of Scott Pruitt and President Trump.
The climate march was done exactly on the president's 100th day in office, to express their dismay over the administration's indifference and lack of action towards climate change.
The page update, strategically done right before the protest, was seen as a bold move. However, it did not seem to faze protesters, as some of them were even emboldened to join the protest because of the EPA's move.
"If they haven't gotten the message yet, they're about to get it today. The American people want a government to fight for the health of this planet and for climate action to help protect all families in America," a Sierra club spokesperson told CNN.
Reflecting The New Leadership
Even before his appointment to the agency, Scott Pruitt has expressed his uncertainties about the science of climate change. Even when he was already the head of the agency that he had sued multiple times before, Pruitt still remained firm on his stand about the cause of climate change, a move that made many people to bombard his office with angry phone calls.
Just recently, he expressed his belief that the United States would be better off exiting the Paris Deal, as it is detrimental to the U.S. economy.
Pruitt, however, isn't the only appointee to take action on the administration's stand on climate change. The Department of State, headed by Rex Tillerson, also rewrote the department's webpage on climate change just at the end of March, placing the United States from being a champion of the Paris Deal to a more passive player.
These actions are perhaps no longer surprising to many, and it is made clear in EPA's Friday press release that the administration is unlikely to change its mind, stating that the changes were being made to reflect the new leadership's approach.
