Old Rocks
Diamond Member
Just 10 days before Hurricane Harvey descended upon Texas on Friday, wreaking havoc and submerging hundreds of miles of land under water, President Donald Trump signed an executive order revoking a set of regulations that would have made federally-funded infrastructure less vulnerable to flooding.
The Obama-era rules, which had not yet gone into effect, would have required the federal government to take into account the risk of flooding and sea-level rise as a result of climate change when constructing new infrastructure and rebuilding after disasters.
.....................................................................................................................................
He and others argue that Trump's decision was a politically motivated attempt to undo President Barack Obama's climate change legacy.
"If the Obama administration had simply described this as a sensible taxpayer protecting land-use measure, the regulations would still be in effect," Lehrer said.
Indeed, some Republican lawmakers have denounced the move.
"This executive order is not fiscally conservative," Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Florida Republican, said in a statement. "It's irresponsible and it will lead to taxpayer dollars being wasted on projects that may not be built to endure the flooding we are already seeing and know is only going to get worse."
The Obama administration estimated that the regulations would increase building costs by 0.25% to 1.25%, but would save taxpayers significant costs in the future. Studies show that taxpayers will save $4 on post-disaster aid for every $1 spent on disaster mitigation.
Trump reversed Obama-era regulations to protect infrastructure against flooding days before Harvey
First class stupidity. Will he let it stand?
The Obama-era rules, which had not yet gone into effect, would have required the federal government to take into account the risk of flooding and sea-level rise as a result of climate change when constructing new infrastructure and rebuilding after disasters.
.....................................................................................................................................
He and others argue that Trump's decision was a politically motivated attempt to undo President Barack Obama's climate change legacy.
"If the Obama administration had simply described this as a sensible taxpayer protecting land-use measure, the regulations would still be in effect," Lehrer said.
Indeed, some Republican lawmakers have denounced the move.
"This executive order is not fiscally conservative," Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Florida Republican, said in a statement. "It's irresponsible and it will lead to taxpayer dollars being wasted on projects that may not be built to endure the flooding we are already seeing and know is only going to get worse."
The Obama administration estimated that the regulations would increase building costs by 0.25% to 1.25%, but would save taxpayers significant costs in the future. Studies show that taxpayers will save $4 on post-disaster aid for every $1 spent on disaster mitigation.
Trump reversed Obama-era regulations to protect infrastructure against flooding days before Harvey
First class stupidity. Will he let it stand?
