Modernizing America’s Water Resource Management and Water Infrastructure
Record date: 2020-10-16
( printed page 65647) Executive Order 13956 of October 13, 2020 Modernizing America's Water Resource Management and Water Infrastructure By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1 . Purpose . Abundant, safe, and reliable supplies of water are critical to quality of life for all Americans, fueling our economy, providing food for our citizens and the world, generating energy, protecting public health, supporting rich and diverse wildlife and plant species,
What this record contains
- Federal Register document
- 2020-23116
- Publication date
- 2020-10-16
- Citation
- 85 FR 65647
- Issuing office
- Executive Office of the President
Official record excerpt
( printed page 65647) Executive Order 13956 of October 13, 2020 Modernizing America's Water Resource Management and Water Infrastructure By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1 . Purpose . Abundant, safe, and reliable supplies of water are critical to quality of life for all Americans, fueling our economy, providing food for our citizens and the world, generating energy, protecting public health, supporting rich and diverse wildlife and plant species, and affording recreational opportunities. While America is blessed with abundant natural resources, those resources must be effectively managed, and our water infrastructure must be modernized to meet the needs of current and future generations. Executive departments and agencies (agencies) that engage in water-related matters, including water storage and supply, water quality and restoration activities, water infrastructure, transportation on our rivers and inland waterways, and water forecasting, must work together where they have joint or overlapping responsibilities. This order will ensure that agencies do that more efficiently and effectively to improve our country's water resource management, modernize our water infrastructure, and prioritize the availability of clean, safe, and reliable water supplies. Sec. 2 . Policy . It is the policy of the United States to: (a) Improve coordination among agencies on water resource management and water infrastructure issues; (b) Reduce unnecessary duplication across the Federal Government by coordinating and consolidating existing water-related task forces, working groups, and other formal cross-agency initiatives, as appropriate; (c) Efficiently and effectively manage America's water resources and promote resilience of America's water-related infrastructure; (d) Promote integrated planning among agencies for Federal investments in water-related infrastructure; and (e) Support workforce development and efforts to recruit, train, and retain professionals to operate and maintain America's essential drinking water, wastewater, flood control, hydropower, and delivery and storage facilities. Sec. 3 . Interagency Water Subcabinet . To promote efficient and effective coordination across agencies engaged in water-related matters, and to prioritize actions to modernize and safeguard our water resources and infrastructure, an interagency Water Policy Committee (to be known as the Water Subcabinet) is hereby established. The Water Subcabinet shall be co-chaired by the Secretary of the Interior and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (Co-Chairs), and shall include the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Army, and the heads of such other agencies as the Co-Chairs deem appropriate. The Department of the Interior or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shall, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations, provide administrative support as needed for the Water Subcabinet to implement this order. Sec. 4 . Reducing Inefficiencies and Duplication . Currently, hundreds of Federal water-related task forces, working groups, and other formal cross-agency ( printed page 65648) initiatives (Federal interagency working groups) exist to address water resource management. Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Water Subcabinet shall, to the extent practicable, identify all such Federal interagency working groups and provide recommendations to the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on coordinating and consolidating these Federal interagency working groups, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law. Sec. 5 . Improving Water Resource Management . Federal agencies engage in a wide range of activities relating to water resource management. Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Water Subcabinet shall submit to the Chairman of CEQ, the Director of OMB, and the Director of OSTP a report that recommends actions to address the issues described below, and for each recommendation identifies a lead agency, other relevant agencies, and agency milestones for fiscal years 2021 through 2025: (a) Actions to increase water storage, water supply reliability, and drought resiliency, including through: (i) developing additional storage capacity, including an examination of operational changes and opportunities to update dam water control manuals for existing facilities during routine operations, maintenance, and safety assessments; (ii) coordinating agency reviews when there are multi-agency permitting and other regulatory requirements; (iii) increasing engagement with State,
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