Trump is reportedly planning to repeal Obama-era flood standards, possibly resulting in billions in damages


The White House is apparently moving ahead with plans to walk back Obama-era regulations that require public infrastructure and critical infrastructure be built several feet above the 100-year flood standards, Climatewire's Zack Colman reports. "The potential move comes as the [Trump] administration is proposing a $1 trillion build-out of roads, bridges, and other infrastructure over 10 years," Climatewire wrote of the rumors back in March. "Combined with the termination of the federal flood risk management standard, signed by former President [Barack] Obama in 2015, the construction boom could result in new roads that are susceptible to flood damage and taxpayer losses, some experts say."
The 2015 executive order was signed by Obama several years after Hurricane Sandy left the East Coast reeling from more than $50 billion in damages and following a concerning U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report that examined flood risks for the North Atlantic region. "The research explicitly took sea level rise induced by climate change into account, and finds that 'flood risk is increasing for coastal populations and supporting infrastructure,'" The Washington Post reports.
Obama's order requires public structures like subsidized housing or water treatment plants to be built at least 2 feet above the 100-year flood standard, whereas critical infrastructure, like hospitals, must be built 3 feet above that line.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Speaking about President Trump's plans to repeal Obama's executive order, Eli Lehrer of the libertarian R Street Institute told Climatewire: "This will inevitably expand the need for disaster aid, both to rebuild federal facilities likely to be destroyed, and to help people who would be lured into harm's way by dumb decisions by central planners."
Lehrer added: "So if President Trump is committed to fiscal responsibility, he really needs to take a close look at this. This will not result in smaller government." Read more about the executive order and Trump's plans to rescind it at Climatewire.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Film reviews: The Phoenician Scheme, Bring Her Back, and Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
Feature A despised mogul seeks a fresh triumph, orphaned siblings land with a nightmare foster mother, and a Jane fan finds herself in a love triangle
-
Music reviews: Tune-Yards and PinkPantheress
Feature "Better Dreaming" and "Fancy That"
-
Withdrawing 529 plan funds for college? Here's what to know.
the explainer Maximize the amount you have stashed away for your education
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect