A new Bush administration cost-benefit analysis tool could significantly change the way the government assesses and regulates environmental threats..
The implications of discounting lives are quite significant. If, for example, the government decided the value of life is now worth less than a tenth of what is used to be, policymakers could decide to allow 10 times as many deaths from environmental pollution -- claiming the "benefits" were unchanged -- to keep costs down for industry. Such a review procedure could block federal agencies from adopting meaningful standards for a range of pollutants, and even set the stage for agencies to weaken effective environmental protections that are already in place.
Thanks to Michael Dudley
Read the full story: Cheapening the Value Of Life: The Bush Administration's Death Discount
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
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