When President Trump defended the "very fine" people among the white supremacists who terrorized Charlottesville, Virginia, on Tuesday, his new executive order on infrastructure announced moments earlier went largely unnoticed.The sweeping order aims to deregulate and speed up construction of federal infrastructure on a grand scale, but a hidden provision revokes yet another environmental protection—this one designed to prevent flooding. The rule mandated that all federally funded infrastructure projects at least consider rising sea levels due to climate change. While eliminating that may shorten the time needed to build, say, a highway, the decision could end up costing taxpayers more in the long run and disproportionately harm poor communities and communities of color.
Flooding has become one of the most widespread and costly natural disasters in the US, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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