On February 24, 2025, the Knight Institute and Earthjustice filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) from unlawfully removing climate-related policies, guides, datasets, and resources from its websites in violation of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and FOIA’s affirmative-disclosure provision. The suit was filed on behalf of three environmental organizations that rely on these resources to carry out their missions—Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Environmental Working Group.

On January 30, 2025, a USDA official ordered staff to immediately “identify and archive or unpublish any landing pages focused on climate change.” Within hours, and without public notice or explanation, USDA purged its websites of pages relating to climate-smart agriculture, forest conservation, climate change adaptation, and investment in clean energy projects. These pages included datasets, interactive tools, and essential information about USDA programs and policies.

The lawsuit argues that USDA’s website purge violates the agency’s obligations to engage in reasoned decision-making, to give adequate notice before modifying or deleting important information, and to proactively publish documents that have the force and effect of law.

Status: Complaint filed on February 24, 2025.

Case Information: Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York v. Department of Agriculture, No. 1:25-cv-1529 (S.D.N.Y.)