Overview
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to set thermostats to 78°F during a severe heatwave, and conservative figures quickly attacked the recommendation.
- Within roughly 24 hours of the mayor’s advisory, the Department of Energy quietly removed about 6,000 web pages that included energy-conservation advice, according to multiple reports.
- Archived copies captured by the Internet Archive and other groups preserve the removed material while the DOE has not given a definitive public explanation for the purge.
- The purge swept beyond thermostat tips to pages on water conservation, insulation types, and the Solar Decathlon, which reporters say makes the deletions broad rather than narrowly targeted.
- The timing and scope of the removals have raised transparency and public-safety concerns because higher thermostat settings aim to reduce grid strain during extreme heat and protect vulnerable people; officials and watchdogs may seek further answers and documentation.