DENVER (AP) — President Donald Trump has ordered the government to streamline regulations that he says are hindering work on four major water projects in the western United States.
Trump signed a memorandum Friday aimed at helping the Central Valley Project and the California State Water Project in California, the Klamath Irrigation Project in Oregon and the federal Columbia River system in the Pacific Northwest.
The memorandum orders the Interior and Commerce departments to speed up environmental reviews, streamline regulations and come up with a timeline to comply with the regulations.
Trump says his directive will be a big help to the arid West, which relies on federally funded water projects to irrigate crops and supply cities.
The president is traveling in the West. He visited Montana Thursday and is now in Arizona.