Trump Mandates Regulatory-Review Task Forces

In another move to cut back on regulations, President Trump has directed federal agencies to set up task forces, with an eye to canceling or changing rules that officials find too restrictive. A construction contractor group praised the action, but environmental organizations objected to it.

In an executive order signed on Feb. 24, Trump said the task forces should target rules “for repeal, replacement or modification” that meet any of several criteria, including inhibiting job creation or having costs that are greater than benefits. Starting 90 days after the date of the directive, each task force is to report on steps taken toward meeting the order’s goals.

Ben Brubeck, an Associated Builders and Contractors vice president, said Trump’s action “will free up job creators to invest more time and money in their businesses” and help to stimulate economic growth, which could mean more construction volume and jobs. But Tiernan Sittenfeld, a League of Conservation Voters senior vice president, said the agency panels “will attempt to roll back common-sense protections” for clean air and water.

Tom Ichniowski has been writing about the federal government as ENR’s Washington Bureau Chief since the George H.W. Bush administration, and he has covered at least five major highway bills. A recognized expert on government policy on infrastructure and regulation, Tom is also a Baltimore native and Orioles fan who grew up rooting for Brooks and Frank Robinson. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia’s graduate school of journalism, where he once used “unrelentless” in a headline.

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