An Abstract:
One policy he [President Trump] eradicated that day was a set of standards aimed at ensuring that anything built with taxpayer money — including hospitals, sewage treatment plants, bridges and libraries — could withstand flooding and rising seas caused by climate change.
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The standards in question were created under President Obama in 2015, who made the case that climate change would make floods more common and much more destructive.
The rules called for building structures two or three feet above the 100-year flood level, or built at the 500-year level. Alternately, federal agencies could analyze future climate change scenarios like sea-level rise or expected heavier floods, and build according to those projections. But the policy ran into opposition, particularly from homebuilders who argued that new restrictions would lead to higher construction costs even outside federally funded projects.
When Trump was elected, he took aim at every policy linked to the phrase “climate change” and repealed it. President Biden reinstated the standard, which went into effect at most agencies this year.
Seven years later and in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton, federal officials and flood experts say Trump’s decision to roll back those federal infrastructure standards has had financial ramifications. Those are just starting to come into view as officials continue to tally the damage from the storms.
By Lisa Friedman, NY Times, October 15, 2024