photo credit: miami.com
An executive order is expected to be signed by President Trump on August 16 to revoke strict building code standards for government funded projects as part of the administration’s efforts to streamline the process for infrastructure projects.
According to an article published by CNBC.com, flood policy expert Eli Lehrer, who had been critical of many Obama initiatives, believes revoking the previous order could end up costing taxpayers. The order put in place by the Obama administration required Federal agencies to factor scientific projections about how climate change could affect flooding in certain areas.
Just two weeks ago a sudden downpour caused major flooding in Miami, and an article in the New York Times cited scientific research suggesting that the southeastern United States is experiencing a faster sea level rise than other areas.
Congressman Carlos Curbelo had this to say about the Trump administration’s plans to revoke the order:
“Sea level rise and the risk of severe flooding are a reality for communities across the country. When you’re on the front lines like South Florida, we know the importance of having more resilient building codes to protect our infrastructure, especially when taxpayer dollars are used. This Executive Order is not fiscally conservative, 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.”
Read the articles cited in this post:
cnbc.com-Trump to revoke Obama-era flood risk building standards