The Energy Department has enacted a long list of words that were banned at the direction of Trump appointees, including those that many consider politically neutral.
“The Words to Avoid” was emailed to the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office (EERE) on Friday, according to Politico, who saw the note. “Make sure that every member of the team is a list of the latest words to avoid,” wrote Rachael Overbey of Eere Special Advisor.
Terms prohibited by staff include climate change, greenery, decarbonization, energy transition, sustainability, sustainability, subsidies, tax credits, tax credits and carbon emissions.
Also, the prohibited word list includes the term “emissions.” The report suggests that the term, despite its neutrally expressed definition of dictionary, suggests a degree of negativity. In 2007, the US Supreme Court ruled that greenhouse gases could be regulated as air pollutants rather than just emissions.
EERE was founded in the late 1970s after several government agencies were brought together into one. The office is in response to the 1973 energy crisis, with oil prices rising sharply. The EERE’s intention was to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency to stabilize the US economy from price shocks that could hit commodity markets such as oil and gas.
President Trump and his appointees have decided to bet on the American economy on expanding the use of these products.
In its speeches and official communications, the Trump administration has continually referred to anything related to the energy transition as “green energy fraud.” In a speech to the United Nations last week, Trump targeted countries around the world to invest in technologies like solar, wind and batteries.
“Your country will fail,” Trump said.
Despite rhetoric, global investment in renewable energy reached a new record in the first half of 2025. Offshore wind and small-scale solar powered investments to $386 billion, up 10% from the previous year.
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