It was just over two weeks ago President Donald Trump derided regulations put in place by former President Barack Obama that imposed new restrictions on building road, residential and infrastructure projects that received federal dollars.
Now, following the destruction brought about by Hurricane Harvey, the Trump administration is rethinking the president's recent decision to scrap those regulations that were aimed at mitigating risks due to flooding, The Washington Post reported Friday.
The White House is considering issuing new regulations on building infrastructure projects, given the billions of dollars the federal government will have to invest in rebuilding efforts in Harvey's aftermath.
Tom Bossert, White House homeland security adviser, said the administration was already planning on crafting new regulations prior to Hurricane Harvey.
"We don't just want to build back faster; we want to build back better, faster and stronger," Bossert said.
Rules that were shelved at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development would have necessitated construction projects funded through the agencies be built upwards of two feet above the 100-year flood elevation in flood plain areas.
Administration officials said they would wait until they could better assess the damage brought about by Harvey before making any final recommendations, the article explained.
The Obama-era regulations were designed taking into account analyses about climate change, a philosophy Trump has not embraced. Private industries, including the National Home Builders Association, have been critical of the regulations and the additional burdens they imposed.
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