The Department of Energy is eyeing elimination of a 45-year-old regulation aimed at ensuring new buildings are accessible to disabled people, a move it says will make the private sector more efficient but that is sparking warnings of lawsuits and civil rights violations.
The comment period ended Monday for a direct final rule that would overturn language under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, a 1973 law prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in programs receiving federal funding. Other federal policies prevent discrimination, so the decades-old provision covering new construction funded by DOE is “unnecessary and unduly burdensome,” the direct final rule issued in May said.
“It is DOE’s policy to give private entities flexibility to comply with the law in the manner they deem most efficient. One-size-fits-all rules are rarely the best option,” DOE said. “Accordingly, DOE finds good reason to eliminate this regulatory provision.”
The rule is set to become effective July 15 unless DOE receives “significant adverse comments.”
