Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality
Executive orders directing the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality · 33 in Search.
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Orders
33 shown
Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy
This executive order directs the Department of Energy to dramatically accelerate testing and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors by streamlining approval processes, creating a pilot program for non-laboratory reactors, and reforming environmental reviews. It sets a goal of achieving criticality in three pilot reactors by July 4, 2026, and aims to enable qualified test reactors to become operational within 2 years of application submission.
Investing in America and Investing in American Workers
This executive order directs federal agencies to prioritize high labor standards—including prevailing wages, project labor agreements, union neutrality, and workforce development—when awarding federal financial assistance under the Investing in America agenda (infrastructure, CHIPS, and clean energy laws). It establishes an interagency task force to coordinate implementation and requires agencies to embed job quality criteria into grant-making processes.
Recognizing and Honoring Women's History
This executive order directs the Department of the Interior to strengthen federal recognition of women's history through National Park Service theme studies, site assessments, and advisory recommendations over the next decade. It requires reports on existing sites related to women's history, new theme studies covering diverse women across historical periods, and input for the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum.
Restoring Healthy and Abundant Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native Fish Populations in the Columbia River Basin
This memorandum directs federal agencies to prioritize restoring salmon, steelhead, and other native fish populations in the Columbia River Basin, honoring tribal treaty rights and balancing energy, agriculture, and environmental needs. It requires agency program reviews, budget assessments, and development of an intergovernmental partnership with states and tribal nations within specified timeframes.
Revitalizing Our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All
This executive order establishes a whole-of-government framework to advance environmental justice by requiring federal agencies to identify and address disproportionate environmental and health burdens on underserved communities. It mandates new Environmental Justice Strategic Plans, creates a White House Office of Environmental Justice with a Federal Chief Environmental Justice Officer, expands the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council to 25 cabinet-level and agency members, and establishes new requirements for data collection, community engagement, and toxic chemical release notification.
Implementation of the Energy and Infrastructure Provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
This executive order establishes a new White House Office on Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation to coordinate implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act's energy and infrastructure provisions. It also restructures interagency coordination by amending previous executive orders to expand the National Climate Task Force's mission, add the new Senior Advisor to multiple interagency bodies, and prioritize clean energy deployment, environmental justice, and domestic manufacturing.
Strengthening the Nation's Forests, Communities, and Local Economies
This executive order directs federal agencies to inventory and conserve mature and old-growth forests on federal lands, develop reforestation targets for 2030, combat international deforestation through trade and foreign assistance reforms, and expand nature-based climate solutions across government. It emphasizes science-based forest management, indigenous knowledge, and sustainable economic development for timber communities.
Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability
This executive order directs the federal government to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 through transforming federal procurement and operations, including 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030, 100% zero-emission vehicle acquisitions by 2035, and net-zero emissions buildings by 2045. It establishes new governance structures including a Federal Chief Sustainability Officer and requires agencies to set targets, develop sustainability plans, and incorporate environmental justice considerations.
Climate-Related Financial Risk
This executive order directs federal agencies to assess and disclose climate-related financial risks across government programs, financial markets, and pensions. It mandates development of a government-wide climate risk strategy, requires financial regulators to evaluate systemic climate risks, and reinstates flood risk standards for federally funded projects.
Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle the Climate Crisis
This executive order establishes climate action and environmental justice as core federal priorities, directing agencies to review and reverse Trump-era environmental rollbacks from 2017-2021. It revokes the Keystone XL pipeline permit, restores Arctic drilling protections, initiates national monument boundary reviews, creates an Interagency Working Group to establish social costs of greenhouse gases, and suspends or revokes numerous prior executive orders on energy infrastructure and environmental regulation.
Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth
This executive order directs federal agencies to reduce regulatory barriers for domestic fishing and aquaculture, combat illegal fishing, streamline permitting for offshore aquaculture projects, establish designated aquaculture zones, and develop a comprehensive seafood trade strategy. It creates multiple task forces and deadlines across Commerce, Agriculture, Army Corps of Engineers, and other agencies to expand U.S. seafood production and reduce reliance on imports.
Developing and Delivering More Water Supplies to California
This memorandum directs the Secretaries of Interior and Commerce to supplement a newly issued Plan of Operations and Record of Decision for California's Central Valley Project and State Water Project, aiming to increase water deliveries while protecting species. It mandates implementation of water storage and storm capture provisions under the WIIN Act, application of recent Endangered Species Act management improvements, and quarterly progress reporting to the Council on Environmental Quality.
Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West
This October 19, 2018 memorandum directs multiple Cabinet secretaries to streamline environmental regulatory processes for major water infrastructure projects in the western United States, particularly California's Central Valley Project and State Water Project. It establishes specific deadlines for completing biological assessments and opinions, requires identification of regulatory burdens within 30 days, and mandates development of schedules for Columbia River Basin and Klamath Irrigation Project environmental reviews.
Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth
This executive order directs federal agencies to review and roll back regulations that burden domestic energy production, particularly for coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear energy. It revokes several Obama-era climate change policies, disbands the Interagency Working Group on Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases, and mandates specific reviews of EPA rules including the Clean Power Plan and various oil and gas regulations.
Safeguarding the Nation From the Impacts of Invasive Species
This executive order updates and strengthens federal coordination on invasive species by amending Executive Order 13112. It maintains the National Invasive Species Council with expanded membership, adds new priorities including climate change and public health impacts, and mandates a new management plan with specific reporting requirements.
Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade
This executive order establishes comprehensive federal sustainability goals for 2015-2025, requiring agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent, increase renewable energy use, improve water and fleet efficiency, and adopt sustainable procurement practices. It creates new oversight structures including Chief Sustainability Officers at each agency and a Federal Interagency Sustainability Steering Committee.
Modernizing Federal Infrastructure Review and Permitting Regulations, Policies, and Procedures
This memorandum directs federal agencies to modernize infrastructure permitting and review regulations to cut aggregate timelines for major projects in half while improving environmental and community outcomes. It mandates a 60-day prioritization effort and 120-day comprehensive modernization plan by an interagency steering committee, building on Executive Order 13604 reforms.
Establishing the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force
This executive order establishes a cabinet-level task force chaired by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to coordinate long-term rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Sandy. The task force is required to produce a comprehensive rebuilding strategy within 180 days of its first meeting, after which it will terminate 60 days later.
Supporting Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources
This executive order creates an interagency working group chaired by the Domestic Policy Council Director to coordinate federal agency efforts supporting safe and responsible development of unconventional domestic natural gas resources, such as shale gas. It aims to streamline policy coordination across 13+ agencies while maintaining environmental and public health safeguards.
Interagency Working Group on Coordination of Domestic Energy Development and Permitting in Alaska
This executive order establishes an interagency working group led by the Department of the Interior to coordinate federal permitting and environmental review processes for oil and gas development in Alaska, both onshore and offshore. The group brings together deputy-level officials from multiple agencies to streamline decision-making while maintaining health, safety, and environmental standards.
Establishing the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force
This executive order creates an intergovernmental task force to coordinate restoration of Gulf Coast ecosystems damaged by the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and address long-term ecological decline. The Task Force includes federal agencies, five Gulf State representatives, and tribal representatives, and is charged with developing a regional restoration strategy within one year.
Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes
This executive order establishes a National Ocean Council to coordinate federal stewardship of oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes, implementing recommendations from the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force. It creates a framework for coastal and marine spatial planning to manage competing uses of marine environments while promoting ecosystem-based conservation. The order directs executive agencies to align their decisions with national ocean policy priorities and to participate in regional planning processes.
A 21st Century Strategy for America's Great Outdoors
This memorandum establishes the America's Great Outdoors Initiative, led by Interior, Agriculture, EPA, and CEQ, to reconnect Americans—especially children—with nature through community-based conservation, public-private partnerships, and interagency coordination. It mandates listening sessions across the country and requires three reports: an initial strategy report by November 15, 2010, and annual progress reports by September 30, 2011 and 2012.
Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance
This executive order mandates federal agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy and water efficiency, eliminate waste, and adopt sustainable practices in buildings, fleets, and procurement. It establishes a comprehensive framework with specific reduction targets, reporting requirements, and oversight mechanisms through the Council on Environmental Quality and Office of Management and Budget.
Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments And Agencies
This memorandum establishes a temporary Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force led by the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality to develop a unified national policy framework for ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes stewardship. The Task Force must deliver recommendations for national policy and coordination within 90 days, and a coastal and marine spatial planning framework within 180 days, before terminating upon completion of its duties.
Memorandum for the Chair of the Council On Environmental Quality
This memorandum delegates to the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality the President's statutory authority under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to provide specified reports to Congress. It is a narrow administrative assignment of a reporting function under the 2009 stimulus law.
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve
This executive order establishes the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, a 3.5 million-acre marine protected area extending approximately 1,200 nautical miles. It caps commercial and recreational fishing at existing levels, prohibits oil and gas exploration, and creates preservation areas with additional restrictions while allowing Native Hawaiian cultural and subsistence uses. The order directs the Secretary of Commerce to develop an operations plan, establish an advisory council, and initiate the process to designate the Reserve as a national marine sanctuary.
Greening the Government Through Leadership in Environmental Management
This executive order directs all federal agencies to integrate environmental accountability into daily operations and long-term planning, setting specific reduction targets for toxic chemical releases (40% by 2006), hazardous waste generation (50% by 2006), and procurement of ozone-depleting substances (phase-out by 2010). It establishes environmental management systems, compliance audit programs, and interagency coordination mechanisms while revoking five earlier environmental executive orders.
Environmental Review of Trade Agreements
This executive order establishes a process for conducting environmental reviews of major U.S. trade agreements before and during negotiations. It requires written environmental assessments for comprehensive multilateral rounds, free trade agreements, and major natural resource sector deals, overseen by the U.S. Trade Representative and Council on Environmental Quality.
Greening the Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition
This executive order directs federal agencies to incorporate waste prevention, recycling, and environmentally preferable purchasing into their operations and procurement. It establishes new governance structures including a Federal Environmental Executive, Agency Environmental Executives, and a Steering Committee, while setting specific deadlines for affirmative procurement programs, strategic planning, and recycled content standards for paper and other products.
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 Support of Community Efforts Along American Heritage Rivers
This executive order establishes the American Heritage Rivers initiative, a voluntary, community-driven program where communities nominate rivers for federal designation and support. It creates an interagency committee to coordinate federal assistance for environmental protection, economic revitalization, and historic preservation along designated rivers, without creating new regulatory authority.
Protection of Children From Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks
This executive order directs federal agencies to prioritize identifying and assessing environmental health and safety risks that disproportionately affect children. It establishes an interagency Task Force co-chaired by HHS and EPA, mandates regulatory impact analyses for children's health in significant rulemakings, and creates an annual reporting mechanism on child well-being indicators.