American Heritage Rivers Initiative Advisory Committee

This executive order establishes a 20-member advisory committee to review community nominations and recommend up to 20 rivers for presidential designation as American Heritage Rivers, from which the President will select ten. The committee evaluates nominations based on environmental protection, economic revitalization, and historic preservation criteria. It is administratively and financially supported by the Secretary of Defense through the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works and automatically terminates within two years.

Federal Register Open PDF 63 FR 17667

Impact dates

Apr 7, 2000
Committee termination

Key directives

Establish American Heritage Rivers Initiative Advisory Committee with up to 20 members
Committee to recommend up to 20 rivers; President to designate 10
Committee to assess nominations against 10 specified criteria in Sec. 2(b)
Committee to seek geographic and thematic diversity per Sec. 2(c)
Secretary of Defense to provide administrative and financial support through Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works
Committee termination no later than 2 years from order date

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

Advisory Committee establishment

Near term (90d)

Committee member appointments by President
Development of review procedures for river nominations

Long term

Committee recommendations to President through CEQ Chair
Presidential designation of ten American Heritage Rivers
Committee termination by April 7, 2000

Risks & tensions

Committee composition and pace entirely dependent on presidential appointment timing—no fixed deadline for recommendations
Vague 'to the extent practicable and permitted by law' language in Sec. 3(a) may limit agency information sharing
Potential tension between environmental protection and economic development objectives in nomination criteria
No explicit funding authorization beyond administrative support from Defense Department