Cabinet-Level Officials Discuss Regulatory Reform With NAHB Members
On June 11, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler, and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte participated in a forum on housing and small business regulatory issues moderated by NAHB Chairman Bill Owens during NAHB’s Spring Leadership Meeting.
Owens noted that HUD recently rescinded a requirement that set the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and the 2019 ASHRAE 90.1 as the minimum energy-efficiency standards for certain single-family and multifamily housing programs.
“The International Energy Conservation Code made it harder for builders to build,” said Turner. “Our mantra is to make it easier for builders to build and for buyers to buy. We rescinded the rule because it could add almost $30,000 to build, and that’s not sustainable. We don’t want home builders to go out of business. We want them to thrive.”
Loeffler highlighted the SBA’s Working Capital Pilot Program, which offers loans up to $5 million and is widely used by builders. “It is an option to lower the cost of capital, and we encourage you to reach out,” she said.
Pulte said that he and Turner are working together to align policy and reduce homeownership closing costs. “The cost of home building needs to come down and the two of us are tag-teaming” to help achieve this goal, said Pulte, who was recently appointed acting director of national intelligence by President Trump.
Drawing on his travels around the country, Turner said the “No. 1 thing I hear that is hurting home building is regulation.” He pointed to HUD’s State and Local Best Practices Report Best Practices for Home Construction report and told builders, “We don’t want to stifle you, we want to unleash you so you can build.” The report focuses on three priorities:
- Lowering home construction costs
- Unlocking land for new housing supply
- Accelerating construction timelines
Loeffler also reminded NAHB members that SBA helps small businesses address burdensome regulations. She encouraged members facing federal regulatory challenges to contact the agency’s red tape hotline at [email protected].
EPA Administrator Zeldin Highlights Deregulatory Agenda
Earlier in the day, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin told NAHB members that the agency is pursuing deregulation and wants to be “an ally of NAHB.”
“I want to know everything we can do to fix these problems,” Zeldin said. “No ask is too big or too small. We want to tackle the full list — permitting reform, NEPA, the Clean Water Act and more.”
He added that EPA is developing a simpler, clearer definition of waters of the United States (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act. “You need to know if a water is a WOTUS without having to hire a consultant or attorney.” Zeldin said that effective permitting reform must reduce timelines, lower costs and provide greater certainty for regulated stakeholders.
“I came into an agency that chose to protect the environment instead of the economy,” said the EPA administrator. “It was viewed as a binary choice only one or the other. We chose both. To protect the environment and grow the economy.”
After Zeldin’s remarks, NAHB hosted three town hall sessions with senior administration officials. Members discussed environmental and water policy, immigration, and small business advocacy, including:
- Clarifying the definition of WOTUS under the Clean Water Act
- Improving the Clean Water Act’s nationwide wetlands permitting program
- Reauthorizing EPA’s construction general permit for stormwater discharges under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
- Protecting employer rights during worksite enforcement actions
- Advancing deregulatory efforts
