After today’s grim TV footage of flooding and tornadoes throughout the nation’s midsection, I wondered (as I often do these days) whether this is symptomatic of climate change, or if it just reflects better news coverage, higher population growth, or perhaps a combination of the three.

Surely, there are agencies that keep track of this sort of thing, so I Googled “Is the weather becoming more extreme?”

Right at the top of the list was:

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/signpost/cc.html

but when I clicked on it I got the following:

This page is being updated.
Thank you for your interest in this topic. We are currently updating our website to reflect EPA’s priorities under the leadership of President Trump and Administrator Pruitt. If you’re looking for an archived version of this page, you can find it on the January 19 snapshot.

I was provided with another link, and got this:

WASHINGTON – EPA.gov, the website for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, is undergoing changes that reflect the agency’s new direction under President Donald Trump and Administrator Scott Pruitt. The process, which involves updating language to reflect the approach of new leadership, is intended to ensure that the public can use the website to understand the agency’s current efforts. The changes will comply with agency ethics and legal guidance, including the use of proper archiving procedures. For instance, a screenshot of the last administration’s website will remain available from the main page.

“As EPA renews its commitment to human health and clean air, land, and water, our website needs to reflect the views of the leadership of the agency,” said J.P. Freire, Associate Administrator for Public Affairs. “We want to eliminate confusion by removing outdated language first and making room to discuss how we’re protecting the environment and human health by partnering with states and working within the law.”

The first page to be updated is a page reflecting President Trump’s Executive Order on Energy Independence, which calls for a review of the so-called Clean Power Plan. Language associated with the Clean Power Plan, written by the last administration, is out of date. Similarly, content related to climate and regulation is also being reviewed.

I was reminded of the old Bob Dylan tune, “Talkin’ World War Three Blues”, where the narrator, following a nuclear war,

I was feelin’ kinda lonesome and blue
I needed somebody to talk to
So I called up the operator of time
Just to hear a voice of some kind
When you hear the beep
It will be three o’clock
She said that for over an hour
And I hung up