EPA Chief Details Trump's Fast-Track Plan to Rebuild LA Homes After Devastating Wildfires

LOS ANGELES — Officials from the Trump administration visited Los Angeles to outline a federal plan meant to speed reconstruction of tens of thousands of homes destroyed in last year’s wildfires by loosening state and local permitting requirements.

Last week President Trump signed an executive order that the White House says will let homeowners who receive federal disaster loans “self-certify” that their rebuilding plans comply with state and local building codes if a permit has not been issued within 60 days. The order also directs federal agencies to expedite waivers and approvals that could otherwise be delayed by environmental, historic preservation or natural resource reviews.

What Officials Say

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, tapped by the president to oversee the effort, said his team will investigate why more than 1,000 permit applications to rebuild homes were returned to applicants rather than approved. Speaking after a meeting with residents in Pacific Palisades — one of the areas devastated in January 2025 — Zeldin said the administration aims to remove bureaucratic obstacles that slow reconstruction and urged insurers to speed payouts to policyholders.

“We want to know why every single one of these applications are sent back to the applicant,” Zeldin said. “What is that hurdle that’s preventing them the ability to rebuild their home?”

Local Officials Push Back

State and local leaders say permitting is already moving quickly. County data show roughly 3,000 permits have been approved and more than 1,000 homes are already under construction. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger — whose district includes areas hit by the Eaton Fire — noted that local self-certification programs already exist and that most permits are processed within about a month.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom questioned the legality and timing of the executive order, saying the administration did not coordinate with state officials. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the move a political stunt while noting that approvals in Pacific Palisades are being processed faster than before the fires.

FILE - A person walks amid the destruction left behind by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Funding Remains The Major Obstacle

Local officials and some residents say the primary barrier to rebuilding is money, not permitting. The Trump administration has not approved California’s request for $33.9 billion in disaster aid. Barger and others said many homeowners are waiting on insurance payments and federal aid before they can move forward.

Legal Questions Loom

Legal experts say a federal attempt to supersede state and local building laws would likely spark prolonged court battles. Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Law School, said the president could push Congress for national permitting reforms but that any immediate, broad federal override of local rules is unlikely to withstand legal challenge.

“The claim that the federal government can just come in and boot these local laws out of existence, that’s not a thing,” Levitt said.

The Palisades and Eaton fires killed 31 people and destroyed roughly 13,000 residential properties, among the most destructive blazes in the region’s history. Local officials are monitoring the federal rollout closely, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors asked county attorneys and planning officials to be prepared to take legal action if necessary. The Los Angeles City Council also moved to waive permitting fees in the Palisades, a step officials estimate could cost up to $90 million over three years.

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Associated Press writer Julie Watson contributed from San Diego.