The EPA won't be shutting down its open data website after all
lterrat's bookmarks 2017-04-25
Summary:
"Scientists and data experts are closely tracking the websites of federal agencies, noting changes to pages dealing with climate change and energy since President Donald Trump took office.
On Monday, they noticed an alarming message posted to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) open data website, indicating it would shut down on Friday, April 28.
Friday is the day the current federal stopgap funding bill expires. The EPA apparently worried that Congress wouldn't pass a new continuing resolution to fund the government, and preemptively planned to end the Open Data service, according to the contractor managing the site, 3 Round Stones in Arlington, Virginia.
However, open data advocates may have found that shining a spotlight and harnessing social media can be powerful tools for protecting our national digital resources.
The EPA disputes accounts that it ever intended to take down the website."