Trump Administration Bans Climate Change Vocabulary at Department of Energy, Sparks Controversy Over ‘Green Energy Scam’ Label
The United States Department of Energy has imposed a prohibition on the usage of specific terms within its office, a move directed by a Trump appointee that includes some perceived as politically neutral.
An email sent to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (OEERE) on Friday detailed this new list of verboten phrases, according to Politico which obtained the memo. “Please ensure that every member of your team is aware that this is the latest list of words to avoid,” wrote OEERE special advisor Rachael Overbey in the email.
The forbidden terminology encompasses: climate change, green, decarbonization, energy transition, sustainability, sustainable, subsidies, tax breaks, tax credits, and carbon footprint.
Additionally, the term “emissions” is on the list of banned words. As reported, this term seems to connote a negative connotation, despite its neutral definition in standard dictionaries. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases are not merely emissions but can be regulated as air pollutants.
The OEERE was created in the late 1970s following the consolidation of several government agencies into one. Established in response to the 1973 energy crisis, which led to a surge in oil prices, the office aimed to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency as a means to protect the American economy from volatile commodity market disruptions, such as those affecting oil and gas.
The current administration under President Trump has placed its bets on the expanded utilization of these very commodities.
In speeches and official communications, the Trump administration consistently refers to any energy transition-related matters as the “green energy scam.” In a speech at the United Nations last week, Trump criticized countries worldwide for investing in technologies like solar, wind, and batteries.
“Your country is going to fail,” stated Trump during his address.
Despite this rhetoric, global investment in renewable energy reached an unprecedented high in the first half of 2025, with offshore wind and small-scale solar driving a 10% increase from the previous year, amounting to $386 billion, according to BloombergNEF.
