The Northeast Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Environmental Working Group have sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the removal of government websites containing information about climate change and the environment. The plaintiffs represent farmers and environmental researchers who rely upon the information made public on USDA's websites. On January 30, 2025, USDA Director of Digital Communications Peter Rhee directed his staff to archive or unpublish any landing pages focused on climate change. The USDA subsequently removed numerous webpages containing vital public resources and information about climate-smart agriculture, forest conservation, climate change adaptation, investment in clean energy projects in rural America, and more. The plaintiffs argued that the removal of these websites violates the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the Freedom of Information Act. The plaintiffs requested that the court order the USDA to restore all webpages removed as a result of Director Rhee's directive.
On May 12, 2025, the government agreed to restore the data to USDA websites.
