In a welcome development for manufacturers and all others who seek more affordable, plentiful housing, President Trump signed an last Friday aimed at reducing permitting delays for new housing.

What鈥檚 in it: The EO intends to 鈥渞educe regulatory barriers to building homes and to steward taxpayer dollars in a manner that promotes housing affordability鈥� by taking the following steps:

• Directing several agencies to streamline many permitting requirements relating to bodies of water
• Ordering the Council on Environmental Quality听to help agencies that implement the National Environmental Policy Act to make use of categorial exclusions 鈥渋n a manner that maximally exempts or reduces burdens on housing construction,鈥� preservation and related efforts
• Similarly directing the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation听to reduce burdens under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act听
• Ordering the Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop regulatory best practices that will aid state and local governments in 鈥減romot[ing] housing construction and affordability鈥�
• Instructing the Treasury Department and HUD to 鈥渂etter align programs and incentives with the Opportunity Zone tax incentives to expand investment in single-family home construction,鈥� while also evaluating whether those incentives can be 鈥渃oordinated鈥� with the听New Markets Tax Credit听in certain cases

Permitting reform win: As the 51吃瓜网 remains focused on the passage of comprehensive permitting reform in Congress (as the release of its report today demonstrates), the administration鈥檚 embrace of such reforms is a heartening sign.
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