The U.S. Department of Agriculture has agreed to provide raw climate risk datasets to plaintiffs following a lawsuit by environmental and agricultural groups. This settlement ensures public access to the data even if online tools are removed in the future. The action stems from efforts to restore resources deleted after the Trump administration took office.
In January 2025, shortly after President Donald Trump assumed office, U.S. Department of Agriculture employees were instructed to flag and delete webpages mentioning climate change, including those aiding farmers in preparing for extreme weather.
Environmental and agricultural nonprofits, represented by Earthjustice, responded by suing the agency, alleging violations of federal laws such as the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and the Freedom of Information Act. These laws require agencies to provide notice before altering public access to informational tools.
In May 2025, days before a scheduled hearing, the USDA announced it would restore the affected webpages. Peter Lehner, managing attorney at Earthjustice, stated, “we had essentially won.” Negotiations for a full settlement continued, focusing on ensuring long-term public access to the data.
Last week, prior to the March 3, 2026, publication of this report, the USDA finalized the settlement. It agreed to share datasets powering its climate risk viewer, which features over 140 layers including maps on wildfire risk, and other tools. The viewer will remain online until plaintiffs, such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, receive the raw data, allowing them to recreate the maps if needed.
Lehner emphasized, “The government should be able to change their website. But they have to do it in certain ways. And if it’s important information, they have to give the public notice and they have to do it carefully.” The Department of Justice, representing the USDA, declined to comment.
One plaintiff, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA), highlighted the importance of webpages on loans for climate-smart conservation practices. Wes Gillingham, NOFA board head and a farmer, noted that his organization guides growers to these resources for sustainable practices. However, he expressed uncertainty about available loan programs under the second Trump administration, stating, “What loan programs are live and not is a huge question.”
Gillingham also voiced concerns over potential cuts in a future farm bill that could reduce funding for conservation efforts like soil health protection. Lehner added that representing farmers affected by these changes provided leverage, saying, “To be frank, I think the fact that we were representing farmers and others who were saying, ‘Look, this is hurting us...’ that didn’t make them look very good.”
