The Department of Energy has instituted a long list of banned words at the direction of a Trump appointee, including some that many would consider politically neutral.
The “words to avoid” were sent in an email to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) on Friday, according to Politico, which saw the memo. “Please ensure that every member of your team is aware that this is the latest list of words to avoid,” EERE special advisor Rachael Overbey wrote.
The terms staffers are forbidden from using include: climate change, green, decarbonization, energy transition, sustainability, sustainable, subsidies, tax breaks, tax credits, and carbon footprint.
Also on the banned word list is the term “emissions.” According to the report, the term apparently implies some level of negativity, despite the neutrally worded dictionary definition. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases aren’t simply emissions, though, but instead can be regulated as air pollutants.
The EERE was established in the late 1970s after several government agencies were rolled into one. The office was a response to the 1973 energy crisis, which had sent oil prices skyrocketing. The intent of the EERE was to foster renewable energy and energy efficiency in an effort to stabilize the American economy from price shocks that can roil commodity markets, like oil and gas.
President Trump and his appointees have decided to bet the American economy on expanded use of those commodities.
In speeches and official communications, the Trump administration has continually referred to anything related to the energy transition as the “green energy scam.” Last week in a speech at the United Nations, Trump took aim at countries around the world for investing in technologies like solar, wind, and batteries.
“Your country is going to fail,” said Trump.
Despite the rhetoric, global investment in renewable energy reached a new record in the first half of 2025. Offshore wind and small-scale solar helped push investment up 10% from the previous year to $386 billion, according to BloombergNEF.
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Tim De Chant is a senior climate reporter at TechCrunch. He has written for a wide range of publications, including Wired magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Ars Technica, The Wire China, and NOVA Next, where he was founding editor.
De Chant is also a lecturer in MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, and he was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT in 2018, during which time he studied climate technologies and explored new business models for journalism. He received his PhD in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley, and his BA degree in environmental studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College.
You can contact or verify outreach from Tim by emailing tim.dechant@techcrunch.com.
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