President Trump made a compelling case for reducing the length of time needed to construct major infrastructure projects to justify the creation of a new White House council to streamline permitting. Only one problem: it already exists.
"President Donald Trump wrapped up his administration's 'infrastructure week' Friday by unveiling a council and a new White House office tasked with streamlining fixes for America's infrastructure," reports Andrew Soergel, economy reporter at U.S. News.
"This council will also improve transparency by creating a new online dashboard allowing everyone to easily track major projects through every stage of the approval process," Trump said....
Soergel points out that such a council already exists: the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC), aka "Permitting Dashboard." It was included in the FAST Act transportation reauthorization bill, approved by Congress in 2015 and established by President Obama in 2016.
"The White House later acknowledged that Trump was talking about the existing council, and that there's already a dashboard," reports Gregory Korte, White House correspondent for USA TODAY.
"While the previous administration did stand up the council, it truly did not fulfill its potential," said White House assistant press secretary Natalie Strom.
"During the speech, Trump pulled out three large binders containing the paperwork for a single environmental review of an 18-mile road in Maryland, clunking them down on the podium for dramatic effect and thumbing through all the pages," observed The Hill's transportation reporter, Melanie Zanona. "Trump said the report weighed 70 pounds and cost $29 million to produce — $24,000 per page."
Korte adds that the "president also said he would create a new office in the White House Council on Environmental Quality to root out inefficiency in the federal permitting process."
If it's Wednesday, it's Inland Waterways
Infrastructure Week took Trump on June 7 to the banks of the Ohio River near Cincinnati to bring attention to the need for investment for America's inland waterways, reports Becca Schimmel of Ohio Valley ReSource. However, he "did not detail any specifics for potential legislation or spending," according to C-SPAN.
On Monday, Trump spoke in favor of modernizing the air traffic control system by privatizing it.
Read the full story: Trump Targets Permits to Cap 'Infrastructure Week'
Pelosi-Schumer-Trump Infrastructure Plan Already Meeting Resistance
Introduced on April 30, the $2 trillion conceptual plan is likely to be dismissed by Congressional Republicans wary of increasing taxes and adding to the deficit, according to an extensive article by The Hill published three days later.
Trump's Infrastructure Accomplishments Fall Short of Promises
President Trump has fallen short of 2016 promises to update and upgrade the key infrastructure of the United States, according to this article.
Trump Signs Two Executive Orders Limiting States' Authority Over Energy Pipelines
The Trump administration's "energy dominance" agenda depends, in part, on growing the energy distribution network, namely pipelines, rail facilities, and ports. However, states can use the Clean Water Act to block pipelines and coal terminals.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
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After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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