Trump to Speed Up Public-Works Permits, Drop Climate Order
Tuesday’s order will revoke a previous one that Obama signed in January 2015, requiring federal agencies to account for future flood risk when spending money on infrastructure projects, a restriction that would extend to homes with federally backed mortgages as well. That order, which was still being implemented through regulations, would have caused some federal projects to be moved to different areas, built to higher standards or canceled altogether.
Rolling back that provision won’t prohibit state and local agencies from using more stringent standards if they choose, said the person familiar with the plan.
Opponents of Obama’s order, including the National Association of Home Builders, had argued that by requiring homes in flood plains to be built higher than before, it would increase construction costs. Supporters, such as insurers and consumer-safety advocates, said it would protect lives and reduce federal spending after floods and other natural disasters.
Revoking the 2015 order “is a fiscally irresponsible decision that is a disaster for taxpayers,” said Eli Lehrer, president of the R Street Institute, which advocates for free-market solutions to climate change. “We are going to be spending and wasting taxpayer dollars to build stuff in areas where it simply shouldn’t be built.”
