In eliminating standards for federally funded buildings to stand up to climate change impacts, Trump’s 2017 decision has provided grounds for increasingly costly infrastructure failures in recent storms.
Experts indicate that the removal of stringent infrastructure standards has exacerbated vulnerability, stating, "We can definitively say that risk increased." This suggests a more precarious future for unprotected facilities.
The financial ramifications of this political decision are surfacing post-storm—five Florida water treatment plants were damaged during hurricanes due to their construction under relaxed standards.
Analysts warn that continued federal investment in vulnerable infrastructure, which lacks resilience against climate change, could lead to spiraling costs as more facilities are compromised by severe weather.
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