On May 12, 2025, the Agriculture Department announced plans to restore crucial climate change data that had been removed from its website during the Trump administration, according to court filings. This decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York and two environmental groups— the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Working Group.
The deleted climate data included critical information related to federal funding, conservation efforts, and tools such as the U.S. Forest Service's “Climate Risk Viewer,” which provided valuable insights into potential impacts of climate change on national forests and grasslands. Farmers had relied on this information for making informed decisions regarding climate-related risks such as heat waves, droughts, floods, and wildfires.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued that the removal of these resources obstructed farmers from making timely and informed decisions necessary for their business sustainability amid climate challenges. The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, indicated in a letter to Judge Margaret M. Garnett that the Agriculture Department has initiated the process of restoring the deleted content.
Clayton requested an extension for a scheduled court hearing initially set for May 21, with intentions to propose a report regarding the progress of data restoration within three weeks. Jeffrey Stein, an attorney from Earthjustice, representing the plaintiffs, remarked on the significance of the government's acknowledgment of the damages caused by the data purge and its commitment to rectify the situation.
The Agriculture Department's decision marks a crucial step in supporting farmers and their communities facing climate challenges, with a commitment to transparency and accessibility of climate-related information.
