US farm agency restores some climate-related webpages after farmer lawsuit

By Leah Douglas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Agriculture restored on Tuesday some climate change-related webpages that the agency had deleted since President Donald Trump's inauguration, after being sued by farm and environmental groups, one of the groups said.

The Trump administration has frozen and canceled some funding to farmers for climate-friendly agriculture, arguing the work does not align with administration priorities. Agriculture accounts for about 11% of U.S. emissions.

A USDA official directed staff on January 30 to take down any webpages focused on climate change, which resulted in the removal of material on some loan and funding opportunities, information about investments through the Inflation Reduction Act, and policy documents, according to the lawsuit filed on February 24 by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Environmental Working Group.

The USDA said in a court filing on Monday that it would restore the removed pages and complete the restoration process in approximately two weeks.

The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Tuesday, some pages detailing IRA-funded clean energy projects in rural America had been restored, said Nydia Gutierrez, a spokesperson for Earthjustice, which represented the plaintiffs.

"Farmers depend on USDA's websites to protect their farms from droughts, wildfires, and extreme weather. We stand ready to ensure that USDA follows through on its promise to restore these crucial resources," Jeffrey Stein, associate attorney with Earthjustice, said in a statement.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas; Editing by Sandra Maler)