On September 26, the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy sent an email that added the terms, “climate change,” “energy transition,” “sustainability/sustainable,” “clean energy,” “dirty energy,” “Carbon/CO2 Footprint,” “Tax breaks/tax credits/subsidies,” “green,” and “decarbonization” to its “list of words to avoid.”
The instructions apply to both public and internal communications. A scientific reason was not offered to avoid the use of those words. It was suggested not to use them because they do not align with the current administration’s “perspectives and priorities.” It is not the job of the Department of Energy to align with the President or the administration.
This list of banned words was imposed despite Republicans largely claiming to support free speech and inquiry.
