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Trump Administration To Subject EPA Data To Political Review

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration is mandating that any studies or data from scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency undergo review by political appointees before they can be released to the public.

The communications director for President Donald Trump's transition team at EPA, Doug Ericksen, says the review also extends to content on the federal agency's website, including details of scientific evidence showing that the Earth's climate is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame.

Former EPA staffers say the restrictions imposed under Trump far exceed the practices of past administrations.

Ericksen says no decision has yet been made about whether to strip mention of climate change from the site.

The AP earlier reported that emails sent internally to EPA staff mandated a temporary blackout on media releases and social media.

(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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