Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, 7619-7633 [2021-02177]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 19 (Monday, February 1, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 7619-7633]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-02177]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 19 / Monday, February 1, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 7619]]


                Executive Order 14008 of January 27, 2021

                
Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad

                The United States and the world face a profound climate 
                crisis. We have a narrow moment to pursue action at 
                home and abroad in order to avoid the most catastrophic 
                impacts of that crisis and to seize the opportunity 
                that tackling climate change presents. Domestic action 
                must go hand in hand with United States international 
                leadership, aimed at significantly enhancing global 
                action. Together, we must listen to science and meet 
                the moment.

                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:

                PART I--PUTTING THE CLIMATE CRISIS AT THE CENTER OF 
                UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY

                Section 101. Policy. United States international 
                engagement to address climate change--which has become 
                a climate crisis--is more necessary and urgent than 
                ever. The scientific community has made clear that the 
                scale and speed of necessary action is greater than 
                previously believed. There is little time left to avoid 
                setting the world on a dangerous, potentially 
                catastrophic, climate trajectory. Responding to the 
                climate crisis will require both significant short-term 
                global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and net-
                zero global emissions by mid-century or before.

                It is the policy of my Administration that climate 
                considerations shall be an essential element of United 
                States foreign policy and national security. The United 
                States will work with other countries and partners, 
                both bilaterally and multilaterally, to put the world 
                on a sustainable climate pathway. The United States 
                will also move quickly to build resilience, both at 
                home and abroad, against the impacts of climate change 
                that are already manifest and will continue to 
                intensify according to current trajectories.

                Sec. 102. Purpose. This order builds on and reaffirms 
                actions my Administration has already taken to place 
                the climate crisis at the forefront of this Nation's 
                foreign policy and national security planning, 
                including submitting the United States instrument of 
                acceptance to rejoin the Paris Agreement. In 
                implementing--and building upon--the Paris Agreement's 
                three overarching objectives (a safe global 
                temperature, increased climate resilience, and 
                financial flows aligned with a pathway toward low 
                greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient 
                development), the United States will exercise its 
                leadership to promote a significant increase in global 
                climate ambition to meet the climate challenge. In this 
                regard:

                    (a) I will host an early Leaders' Climate Summit 
                aimed at raising climate ambition and making a positive 
                contribution to the 26th United Nations Climate Change 
                Conference of the Parties (COP26) and beyond.
                    (b) The United States will reconvene the Major 
                Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, beginning with 
                the Leaders' Climate Summit. In cooperation with the 
                members of that Forum, as well as with other partners 
                as appropriate, the United States will pursue green 
                recovery efforts, initiatives to advance the clean 
                energy transition, sectoral decarbonization, and 
                alignment of financial flows with the objectives of the 
                Paris Agreement, including with respect to coal 
                financing, nature-based solutions, and solutions to 
                other climate-related challenges.

[[Page 7620]]

                    (c) I have created a new Presidentially appointed 
                position, the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, 
                to elevate the issue of climate change and underscore 
                the commitment my Administration will make toward 
                addressing it.
                    (d) Recognizing that climate change affects a wide 
                range of subjects, it will be a United States priority 
                to press for enhanced climate ambition and integration 
                of climate considerations across a wide range of 
                international fora, including the Group of Seven (G7), 
                the Group of Twenty (G20), and fora that address clean 
                energy, aviation, shipping, the Arctic, the ocean, 
                sustainable development, migration, and other relevant 
                topics. The Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and 
                others, as appropriate, are encouraged to promote 
                innovative approaches, including international multi-
                stakeholder initiatives. In addition, my Administration 
                will work in partnership with States, localities, 
                Tribes, territories, and other United States 
                stakeholders to advance United States climate 
                diplomacy.
                    (e) The United States will immediately begin the 
                process of developing its nationally determined 
                contribution under the Paris Agreement. The process 
                will include analysis and input from relevant executive 
                departments and agencies (agencies), as well as 
                appropriate outreach to domestic stakeholders. The 
                United States will aim to submit its nationally 
                determined contribution in advance of the Leaders' 
                Climate Summit.
                    (f) The United States will also immediately begin 
                to develop a climate finance plan, making strategic use 
                of multilateral and bilateral channels and 
                institutions, to assist developing countries in 
                implementing ambitious emissions reduction measures, 
                protecting critical ecosystems, building resilience 
                against the impacts of climate change, and promoting 
                the flow of capital toward climate-aligned investments 
                and away from high-carbon investments. The Secretary of 
                State and the Secretary of the Treasury, in 
                coordination with the Special Presidential Envoy for 
                Climate, shall lead a process to develop this plan, 
                with the participation of the Administrator of the 
                United States Agency for International Development 
                (USAID), the Chief Executive Officer of the United 
                States International Development Finance Corporation 
                (DFC), the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium 
                Challenge Corporation, the Director of the United 
                States Trade and Development Agency, the Director of 
                the Office of Management and Budget, and the head of 
                any other agency providing foreign assistance and 
                development financing, as appropriate. The Secretary of 
                State and the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit 
                the plan to the President, through the Assistant to the 
                President for National Security Affairs and the 
                Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, within 
                90 days of the date of this order.
                    (g) The Secretary of the Treasury shall:

(i) ensure that the United States is present and engaged in relevant 
international fora and institutions that are working on the management of 
climate-related financial risks;

(ii) develop a strategy for how the voice and vote of the United States can 
be used in international financial institutions, including the World Bank 
Group and the International Monetary Fund, to promote financing programs, 
economic stimulus packages, and debt relief initiatives that are aligned 
with and support the goals of the Paris Agreement; and

(iii) develop, in collaboration with the Secretary of State, the 
Administrator of USAID, and the Chief Executive Officer of the DFC, a plan 
for promoting the protection of the Amazon rainforest and other critical 
ecosystems that serve as global carbon sinks, including through market-
based mechanisms.

                    (h) The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the 
                Treasury, and the Secretary of Energy shall work 
                together and with the Export-Import Bank of the United 
                States, the Chief Executive Officer of the DFC, and the 
                heads of other agencies and partners, as appropriate, 
                to identify steps through which the United States can 
                promote ending international financing of carbon-

[[Page 7621]]

                intensive fossil fuel-based energy while simultaneously 
                advancing sustainable development and a green recovery, 
                in consultation with the Assistant to the President for 
                National Security Affairs.

(i) The Secretary of Energy, in cooperation with the Secretary of State and 
the heads of other agencies, as appropriate, shall identify steps through 
which the United States can intensify international collaborations to drive 
innovation and deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical 
for climate protection.

(j) The Secretary of State shall prepare, within 60 days of the date of 
this order, a transmittal package seeking the Senate's advice and consent 
to ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on 
Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, regarding the phasedown of the 
production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons.

                Sec. 103. Prioritizing Climate in Foreign Policy and 
                National Security. To ensure that climate change 
                considerations are central to United States foreign 
                policy and national security:

                    (a) Agencies that engage in extensive international 
                work shall develop, in coordination with the Special 
                Presidential Envoy for Climate, and submit to the 
                President, through the Assistant to the President for 
                National Security Affairs, within 90 days of the date 
                of this order, strategies and implementation plans for 
                integrating climate considerations into their 
                international work, as appropriate and consistent with 
                applicable law. These strategies and plans should 
                include an assessment of:

(i) climate impacts relevant to broad agency strategies in particular 
countries or regions;

(ii) climate impacts on their agency-managed infrastructure abroad (e.g., 
embassies, military installations), without prejudice to existing 
requirements regarding assessment of such infrastructure;

(iii) how the agency intends to manage such impacts or incorporate risk 
mitigation into its installation master plans; and

(iv) how the agency's international work, including partner engagement, can 
contribute to addressing the climate crisis.

                    (b) The Director of National Intelligence shall 
                prepare, within 120 days of the date of this order, a 
                National Intelligence Estimate on the national and 
                economic security impacts of climate change.
                    (c) The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with 
                the Secretary of Commerce, through the Administrator of 
                the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
                the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, the 
                Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, 
                the Director of National Intelligence, the Director of 
                the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the 
                Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
                Administration, and the heads of other agencies as 
                appropriate, shall develop and submit to the President, 
                within 120 days of the date of this order, an analysis 
                of the security implications of climate change (Climate 
                Risk Analysis) that can be incorporated into modeling, 
                simulation, war-gaming, and other analyses.
                    (d) The Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of 
                the Joint Chiefs of Staff shall consider the security 
                implications of climate change, including any relevant 
                information from the Climate Risk Analysis described in 
                subsection (c) of this section, in developing the 
                National Defense Strategy, Defense Planning Guidance, 
                Chairman's Risk Assessment, and other relevant 
                strategy, planning, and programming documents and 
                processes. Starting in January 2022, the Secretary of 
                Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 
                shall provide an annual update, through the National 
                Security Council, on the progress made in incorporating 
                the security implications of climate change into these 
                documents and processes.
                    (e) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
                consider the implications of climate change in the 
                Arctic, along our Nation's borders, and to National

[[Page 7622]]

                Critical Functions, including any relevant information 
                from the Climate Risk Analysis described in subsection 
                (c) of this section, in developing relevant strategy, 
                planning, and programming documents and processes. 
                Starting in January 2022, the Secretary of Homeland 
                Security shall provide an annual update, through the 
                National Security Council, on the progress made in 
                incorporating the homeland security implications of 
                climate change into these documents and processes.

                Sec. 104. Reinstatement. The Presidential Memorandum of 
                September 21, 2016 (Climate Change and National 
                Security), is hereby reinstated.

                PART II--TAKING A GOVERNMENT-WIDE APPROACH TO THE 
                CLIMATE CRISIS

                Sec. 201. Policy. Even as our Nation emerges from 
                profound public health and economic crises borne of a 
                pandemic, we face a climate crisis that threatens our 
                people and communities, public health and economy, and, 
                starkly, our ability to live on planet Earth. Despite 
                the peril that is already evident, there is promise in 
                the solutions--opportunities to create well-paying 
                union jobs to build a modern and sustainable 
                infrastructure, deliver an equitable, clean energy 
                future, and put the United States on a path to achieve 
                net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 
                2050.

                We must listen to science--and act. We must strengthen 
                our clean air and water protections. We must hold 
                polluters accountable for their actions. We must 
                deliver environmental justice in communities all across 
                America. The Federal Government must drive assessment, 
                disclosure, and mitigation of climate pollution and 
                climate-related risks in every sector of our economy, 
                marshaling the creativity, courage, and capital 
                necessary to make our Nation resilient in the face of 
                this threat. Together, we must combat the climate 
                crisis with bold, progressive action that combines the 
                full capacity of the Federal Government with efforts 
                from every corner of our Nation, every level of 
                government, and every sector of our economy.

                It is the policy of my Administration to organize and 
                deploy the full capacity of its agencies to combat the 
                climate crisis to implement a Government-wide approach 
                that reduces climate pollution in every sector of the 
                economy; increases resilience to the impacts of climate 
                change; protects public health; conserves our lands, 
                waters, and biodiversity; delivers environmental 
                justice; and spurs well-paying union jobs and economic 
                growth, especially through innovation, 
                commercialization, and deployment of clean energy 
                technologies and infrastructure. Successfully meeting 
                these challenges will require the Federal Government to 
                pursue such a coordinated approach from planning to 
                implementation, coupled with substantive engagement by 
                stakeholders, including State, local, and Tribal 
                governments.

                Sec. 202. White House Office of Domestic Climate 
                Policy. There is hereby established the White House 
                Office of Domestic Climate Policy (Climate Policy 
                Office) within the Executive Office of the President, 
                which shall coordinate the policy-making process with 
                respect to domestic climate-policy issues; coordinate 
                domestic climate-policy advice to the President; ensure 
                that domestic climate-policy decisions and programs are 
                consistent with the President's stated goals and that 
                those goals are being effectively pursued; and monitor 
                implementation of the President's domestic climate-
                policy agenda. The Climate Policy Office shall have a 
                staff headed by the Assistant to the President and 
                National Climate Advisor (National Climate Advisor) and 
                shall include the Deputy Assistant to the President and 
                Deputy National Climate Advisor. The Climate Policy 
                Office shall have such staff and other assistance as 
                may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this 
                order, subject to the availability of appropriations, 
                and may work with established or ad hoc committees or 
                interagency groups. All agencies shall cooperate with 
                the Climate Policy Office and provide such information, 
                support, and assistance to the Climate Policy Office as 
                it may request, as appropriate and consistent with 
                applicable law.

[[Page 7623]]

                Sec. 203. National Climate Task Force. There is hereby 
                established a National Climate Task Force (Task Force). 
                The Task Force shall be chaired by the National Climate 
                Advisor.

                    (a) Membership. The Task Force shall consist of the 
                following additional members:

(i) the Secretary of the Treasury;

(ii) the Secretary of Defense;

(iii) the Attorney General;

(iv) the Secretary of the Interior;

(v) the Secretary of Agriculture;

(vi) the Secretary of Commerce;

(vii) the Secretary of Labor;

(viii) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;

(ix) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;

(x) the Secretary of Transportation;

(xi) the Secretary of Energy;

(xii) the Secretary of Homeland Security;

(xiii) the Administrator of General Services;

(xiv) the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality;

(xv) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;

(xvi) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

(xvii) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy;

(xviii) the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy;

(xix) the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs;

(xx) the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and 
Counterterrorism; and

(xxi) the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.

                    (b) Mission and Work. The Task Force shall 
                facilitate the organization and deployment of a 
                Government-wide approach to combat the climate crisis. 
                This Task Force shall facilitate planning and 
                implementation of key Federal actions to reduce climate 
                pollution; increase resilience to the impacts of 
                climate change; protect public health; conserve our 
                lands, waters, oceans, and biodiversity; deliver 
                environmental justice; and spur well-paying union jobs 
                and economic growth. As necessary and appropriate, 
                members of the Task Force will engage on these matters 
                with State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments; 
                workers and communities; and leaders across the various 
                sectors of our economy.
                    (c) Prioritizing Actions. To the extent permitted 
                by law, Task Force members shall prioritize action on 
                climate change in their policy-making and budget 
                processes, in their contracting and procurement, and in 
                their engagement with State, local, Tribal, and 
                territorial governments; workers and communities; and 
                leaders across all the sectors of our economy.

                USE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S BUYING POWER AND REAL 
                PROPERTY AND ASSET MANAGEMENT

                Sec. 204. Policy. It is the policy of my Administration 
                to lead the Nation's effort to combat the climate 
                crisis by example--specifically, by aligning the 
                management of Federal procurement and real property, 
                public lands and waters, and financial programs to 
                support robust climate action. By providing an 
                immediate, clear, and stable source of product demand, 
                increased transparency and data, and robust standards 
                for the market, my Administration will help to catalyze 
                private sector investment into, and

[[Page 7624]]

                accelerate the advancement of America's industrial 
                capacity to supply, domestic clean energy, buildings, 
                vehicles, and other necessary products and materials.

                Sec. 205. Federal Clean Electricity and Vehicle 
                Procurement Strategy. (a) The Chair of the Council on 
                Environmental Quality, the Administrator of General 
                Services, and the Director of the Office and Management 
                and Budget, in coordination with the Secretary of 
                Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of 
                Energy, and the heads of other relevant agencies, shall 
                assist the National Climate Advisor, through the Task 
                Force established in section 203 of this order, in 
                developing a comprehensive plan to create good jobs and 
                stimulate clean energy industries by revitalizing the 
                Federal Government's sustainability efforts.

                    (b) The plan shall aim to use, as appropriate and 
                consistent with applicable law, all available 
                procurement authorities to achieve or facilitate:

(i) a carbon pollution-free electricity sector no later than 2035; and

(ii) clean and zero-emission vehicles for Federal, State, local, and Tribal 
government fleets, including vehicles of the United States Postal Service.

                    (c) If necessary, the plan shall recommend any 
                additional legislation needed to accomplish these 
                objectives.
                    (d) The plan shall also aim to ensure that the 
                United States retains the union jobs integral to and 
                involved in running and maintaining clean and zero-
                emission fleets, while spurring the creation of union 
                jobs in the manufacture of those new vehicles. The plan 
                shall be submitted to the Task Force within 90 days of 
                the date of this order.

                Sec. 206. Procurement Standards. Consistent with the 
                Executive Order of January 25, 2021, entitled, 
                ``Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All 
                of America's Workers,'' agencies shall adhere to the 
                requirements of the Made in America Laws in making 
                clean energy, energy efficiency, and clean energy 
                procurement decisions. Agencies shall, consistent with 
                applicable law, apply and enforce the Davis-Bacon Act 
                and prevailing wage and benefit requirements. The 
                Secretary of Labor shall take steps to update 
                prevailing wage requirements. The Chair of the Council 
                on Environmental Quality shall consider additional 
                administrative steps and guidance to assist the Federal 
                Acquisition Regulatory Council in developing regulatory 
                amendments to promote increased contractor attention on 
                reduced carbon emission and Federal sustainability.

                Sec. 207. Renewable Energy on Public Lands and in 
                Offshore Waters. The Secretary of the Interior shall 
                review siting and permitting processes on public lands 
                and in offshore waters to identify to the Task Force 
                steps that can be taken, consistent with applicable 
                law, to increase renewable energy production on those 
                lands and in those waters, with the goal of doubling 
                offshore wind by 2030 while ensuring robust protection 
                for our lands, waters, and biodiversity and creating 
                good jobs. In conducting this review, the Secretary of 
                the Interior shall consult, as appropriate, with the 
                heads of relevant agencies, including the Secretary of 
                Defense, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of 
                Commerce, through the Administrator of the National 
                Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Secretary 
                of Energy, the Chair of the Council on Environmental 
                Quality, State and Tribal authorities, project 
                developers, and other interested parties. The Secretary 
                of the Interior shall engage with Tribal authorities 
                regarding the development and management of renewable 
                and conventional energy resources on Tribal lands.

                Sec. 208. Oil and Natural Gas Development on Public 
                Lands and in Offshore Waters. To the extent consistent 
                with applicable law, the Secretary of the Interior 
                shall pause new oil and natural gas leases on public 
                lands or in offshore waters pending completion of a 
                comprehensive review and reconsideration of Federal oil 
                and gas permitting and leasing practices in light of 
                the Secretary of the Interior's broad stewardship 
                responsibilities over the public lands and in offshore 
                waters, including potential climate and

[[Page 7625]]

                other impacts associated with oil and gas activities on 
                public lands or in offshore waters. The Secretary of 
                the Interior shall complete that review in consultation 
                with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of 
                Commerce, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                Administration, and the Secretary of Energy. In 
                conducting this analysis, and to the extent consistent 
                with applicable law, the Secretary of the Interior 
                shall consider whether to adjust royalties associated 
                with coal, oil, and gas resources extracted from public 
                lands and offshore waters, or take other appropriate 
                action, to account for corresponding climate costs.

                Sec. 209. Fossil Fuel Subsidies. The heads of agencies 
                shall identify for the Director of the Office of 
                Management and Budget and the National Climate Advisor 
                any fossil fuel subsidies provided by their respective 
                agencies, and then take steps to ensure that, to the 
                extent consistent with applicable law, Federal funding 
                is not directly subsidizing fossil fuels. The Director 
                of the Office of Management and Budget shall seek, in 
                coordination with the heads of agencies and the 
                National Climate Advisor, to eliminate fossil fuel 
                subsidies from the budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 
                and thereafter.

                Sec. 210. Clean Energy in Financial Management. The 
                heads of agencies shall identify opportunities for 
                Federal funding to spur innovation, commercialization, 
                and deployment of clean energy technologies and 
                infrastructure for the Director of the Office of 
                Management and Budget and the National Climate Advisor, 
                and then take steps to ensure that, to the extent 
                consistent with applicable law, Federal funding is used 
                to spur innovation, commercialization, and deployment 
                of clean energy technologies and infrastructure. The 
                Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in 
                coordination with agency heads and the National Climate 
                Advisor, shall seek to prioritize such investments in 
                the President's budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 and 
                thereafter.

                Sec. 211. Climate Action Plans and Data and Information 
                Products to Improve Adaptation and Increase Resilience. 
                (a) The head of each agency shall submit a draft action 
                plan to the Task Force and the Federal Chief 
                Sustainability Officer within 120 days of the date of 
                this order that describes steps the agency can take 
                with regard to its facilities and operations to bolster 
                adaptation and increase resilience to the impacts of 
                climate change. Action plans should, among other 
                things, describe the agency's climate vulnerabilities 
                and describe the agency's plan to use the power of 
                procurement to increase the energy and water efficiency 
                of United States Government installations, buildings, 
                and facilities and ensure they are climate-ready. 
                Agencies shall consider the feasibility of using the 
                purchasing power of the Federal Government to drive 
                innovation, and shall seek to increase the Federal 
                Government's resilience against supply chain 
                disruptions. Such disruptions put the Nation's 
                manufacturing sector at risk, as well as consumer 
                access to critical goods and services. Agencies shall 
                make their action plans public, and post them on the 
                agency website, to the extent consistent with 
                applicable law.

                    (b) Within 30 days of an agency's submission of an 
                action plan, the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer, 
                in coordination with the Director of the Office of 
                Management and Budget, shall review the plan to assess 
                its consistency with the policy set forth in section 
                204 of this order and the priorities issued by the 
                Office of Management and Budget.
                    (c) After submitting an initial action plan, the 
                head of each agency shall submit to the Task Force and 
                Federal Chief Sustainability Officer progress reports 
                annually on the status of implementation efforts. 
                Agencies shall make progress reports public and post 
                them on the agency website, to the extent consistent 
                with applicable law. The heads of agencies shall assign 
                their respective agency Chief Sustainability Officer 
                the authority to perform duties relating to 
                implementation of this order within the agency, to the 
                extent consistent with applicable law.
                    (d) To assist agencies and State, local, Tribal, 
                and territorial governments, communities, and 
                businesses in preparing for and adapting to the impacts 
                of climate change, the Secretary of Commerce, through 
                the Administrator

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                of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
                the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the 
                Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
                Agency, and the Director of the Office of Science and 
                Technology Policy, in coordination with the heads of 
                other agencies, as appropriate, shall provide to the 
                Task Force a report on ways to expand and improve 
                climate forecast capabilities and information products 
                for the public. In addition, the Secretary of the 
                Interior and the Deputy Director for Management of the 
                Office of Management and Budget, in their capacities as 
                the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Federal Geographic Data 
                Committee, shall assess and provide to the Task Force a 
                report on the potential development of a consolidated 
                Federal geographic mapping service that can facilitate 
                public access to climate-related information that will 
                assist Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments in 
                climate planning and resilience activities.

                EMPOWERING WORKERS THROUGH REBUILDING OUR 
                INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

                Sec. 212. Policy. This Nation needs millions of 
                construction, manufacturing, engineering, and skilled-
                trades workers to build a new American infrastructure 
                and clean energy economy. These jobs will create 
                opportunities for young people and for older workers 
                shifting to new professions, and for people from all 
                backgrounds and communities. Such jobs will bring 
                opportunity to communities too often left behind--
                places that have suffered as a result of economic 
                shifts and places that have suffered the most from 
                persistent pollution, including low-income rural and 
                urban communities, communities of color, and Native 
                communities.

                Sec. 213. Sustainable Infrastructure. (a) The Chair of 
                the Council on Environmental Quality and the Director 
                of the Office of Management and Budget shall take 
                steps, consistent with applicable law, to ensure that 
                Federal infrastructure investment reduces climate 
                pollution, and to require that Federal permitting 
                decisions consider the effects of greenhouse gas 
                emissions and climate change. In addition, they shall 
                review, and report to the National Climate Advisor on, 
                siting and permitting processes, including those in 
                progress under the auspices of the Federal Permitting 
                Improvement Steering Council, and identify steps that 
                can be taken, consistent with applicable law, to 
                accelerate the deployment of clean energy and 
                transmission projects in an environmentally stable 
                manner.

                    (b) Agency heads conducting infrastructure reviews 
                shall, as appropriate, consult from an early stage with 
                State, local, and Tribal officials involved in 
                permitting or authorizing proposed infrastructure 
                projects to develop efficient timelines for decision-
                making that are appropriate given the complexities of 
                proposed projects.

                EMPOWERING WORKERS BY ADVANCING CONSERVATION, 
                AGRICULTURE, AND REFORESTATION

                Sec. 214. Policy. It is the policy of my Administration 
                to put a new generation of Americans to work conserving 
                our public lands and waters. The Federal Government 
                must protect America's natural treasures, increase 
                reforestation, improve access to recreation, and 
                increase resilience to wildfires and storms, while 
                creating well-paying union jobs for more Americans, 
                including more opportunities for women and people of 
                color in occupations where they are underrepresented. 
                America's farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners have 
                an important role to play in combating the climate 
                crisis and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, by 
                sequestering carbon in soils, grasses, trees, and other 
                vegetation and sourcing sustainable bioproducts and 
                fuels. Coastal communities have an essential role to 
                play in mitigating climate change and strengthening 
                resilience by protecting and restoring coastal 
                ecosystems, such as wetlands, seagrasses, coral and 
                oyster reefs, and mangrove and kelp forests, to protect 
                vulnerable coastlines, sequester carbon, and support 
                biodiversity and fisheries.

                Sec. 215. Civilian Climate Corps. In furtherance of the 
                policy set forth in section 214 of this order, the 
                Secretary of the Interior, in collaboration with the 
                Secretary of Agriculture and the heads of other 
                relevant agencies,

[[Page 7627]]

                shall submit a strategy to the Task Force within 90 
                days of the date of this order for creating a Civilian 
                Climate Corps Initiative, within existing 
                appropriations, to mobilize the next generation of 
                conservation and resilience workers and maximize the 
                creation of accessible training opportunities and good 
                jobs. The initiative shall aim to conserve and restore 
                public lands and waters, bolster community resilience, 
                increase reforestation, increase carbon sequestration 
                in the agricultural sector, protect biodiversity, 
                improve access to recreation, and address the changing 
                climate.

                Sec. 216. Conserving Our Nation's Lands and Waters. (a) 
                The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the 
                Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, 
                the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, and 
                the heads of other relevant agencies, shall submit a 
                report to the Task Force within 90 days of the date of 
                this order recommending steps that the United States 
                should take, working with State, local, Tribal, and 
                territorial governments, agricultural and forest 
                landowners, fishermen, and other key stakeholders, to 
                achieve the goal of conserving at least 30 percent of 
                our lands and waters by 2030.

(i) The Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the 
Secretary of Commerce, through the Administrator of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, and the Chair of the Council on 
Environmental Quality shall, as appropriate, solicit input from State, 
local, Tribal, and territorial officials, agricultural and forest 
landowners, fishermen, and other key stakeholders in identifying strategies 
that will encourage broad participation in the goal of conserving 30 
percent of our lands and waters by 2030.

(ii) The report shall propose guidelines for determining whether lands and 
waters qualify for conservation, and it also shall establish mechanisms to 
measure progress toward the 30-percent goal. The Secretary of the Interior 
shall subsequently submit annual reports to the Task Force to monitor 
progress.

                    (b) The Secretary of Agriculture shall:

(i) initiate efforts in the first 60 days from the date of this order to 
collect input from Tribes, farmers, ranchers, forest owners, conservation 
groups, firefighters, and other stakeholders on how to best use Department 
of Agriculture programs, funding and financing capacities, and other 
authorities, and how to encourage the voluntary adoption of climate-smart 
agricultural and forestry practices that decrease wildfire risk fueled by 
climate change and result in additional, measurable, and verifiable carbon 
reductions and sequestration and that source sustainable bioproducts and 
fuels; and

(ii) submit to the Task Force within 90 days of the date of this order a 
report making recommendations for an agricultural and forestry climate 
strategy.

                    (c) The Secretary of Commerce, through the 
                Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                Administration, shall initiate efforts in the first 60 
                days from the date of this order to collect input from 
                fishermen, regional ocean councils, fishery management 
                councils, scientists, and other stakeholders on how to 
                make fisheries and protected resources more resilient 
                to climate change, including changes in management and 
                conservation measures, and improvements in science, 
                monitoring, and cooperative research.

                EMPOWERING WORKERS THROUGH REVITALIZING ENERGY 
                COMMUNITIES

                Sec. 217. Policy. It is the policy of my Administration 
                to improve air and water quality and to create well-
                paying union jobs and more opportunities for women and 
                people of color in hard-hit communities, including 
                rural communities, while reducing methane emissions, 
                oil and brine leaks, and other environmental harms from 
                tens of thousands of former mining and well sites. 
                Mining and power plant workers drove the industrial 
                revolution and the economic growth that followed, and 
                have been essential to the growth of the United States. 
                As the Nation shifts to a clean energy economy,

[[Page 7628]]

                Federal leadership is essential to foster economic 
                revitalization of and investment in these communities, 
                ensure the creation of good jobs that provide a choice 
                to join a union, and secure the benefits that have been 
                earned by workers.

                Such work should include projects that reduce emissions 
                of toxic substances and greenhouse gases from existing 
                and abandoned infrastructure and that prevent 
                environmental damage that harms communities and poses a 
                risk to public health and safety. Plugging leaks in oil 
                and gas wells and reclaiming abandoned mine land can 
                create well-paying union jobs in coal, oil, and gas 
                communities while restoring natural assets, 
                revitalizing recreation economies, and curbing methane 
                emissions. In addition, such work should include 
                efforts to turn properties idled in these communities, 
                such as brownfields, into new hubs for the growth of 
                our economy. Federal agencies should therefore 
                coordinate investments and other efforts to assist 
                coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities, and 
                achieve substantial reductions of methane emissions 
                from the oil and gas sector as quickly as possible.

                Sec. 218. Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power 
                Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization. There is 
                hereby established an Interagency Working Group on Coal 
                and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization 
                (Interagency Working Group). The National Climate 
                Advisor and the Assistant to the President for Economic 
                Policy shall serve as Co-Chairs of the Interagency 
                Working Group.

                    (a) Membership. The Interagency Working Group shall 
                consist of the following additional members:

(i) the Secretary of the Treasury;

(ii) the Secretary of the Interior;

(iii) the Secretary of Agriculture;

(iv) the Secretary of Commerce;

(v) the Secretary of Labor;

(vi) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;

(vii) the Secretary of Transportation;

(viii) the Secretary of Energy;

(ix) the Secretary of Education;

(x) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;

(xi) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

(xii) the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Director of 
the Domestic Policy Council; and

(xiii) the Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission.

                    (b) Mission and Work.

(i) The Interagency Working Group shall coordinate the identification and 
delivery of Federal resources to revitalize the economies of coal, oil and 
gas, and power plant communities; develop strategies to implement the 
policy set forth in section 217 of this order and for economic and social 
recovery; assess opportunities to ensure benefits and protections for coal 
and power plant workers; and submit reports to the National Climate Advisor 
and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy on a regular basis 
on the progress of the revitalization effort.

(ii) As part of this effort, within 60 days of the date of this order, the 
Interagency Working Group shall submit a report to the President describing 
all mechanisms, consistent with applicable law, to prioritize grantmaking, 
Federal loan programs, technical assistance, financing, procurement, or 
other existing programs to support and revitalize the economies of coal and 
power plant communities, and providing recommendations for action 
consistent with the goals of the Interagency Working Group.

[[Page 7629]]

                    (c) Consultation. Consistent with the objectives 
                set out in this order and in accordance with applicable 
                law, the Interagency Working Group shall seek the views 
                of State, local, and Tribal officials; unions; 
                environmental justice organizations; community groups; 
                and other persons it identifies who may have 
                perspectives on the mission of the Interagency Working 
                Group.
                    (d) Administration. The Interagency Working Group 
                shall be housed within the Department of Energy. The 
                Chairs shall convene regular meetings of the 
                Interagency Working Group, determine its agenda, and 
                direct its work. The Secretary of Energy, in 
                consultation with the Chairs, shall designate an 
                Executive Director of the Interagency Working Group, 
                who shall coordinate the work of the Interagency 
                Working Group and head any staff assigned to the 
                Interagency Working Group.
                    (e) Officers. To facilitate the work of the 
                Interagency Working Group, the head of each agency 
                listed in subsection (a) of this section shall assign a 
                designated official within the agency the authority to 
                represent the agency on the Interagency Working Group 
                and perform such other duties relating to the 
                implementation of this order within the agency as the 
                head of the agency deems appropriate.

                SECURING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND SPURRING ECONOMIC 
                OPPORTUNITY

                Sec. 219. Policy. To secure an equitable economic 
                future, the United States must ensure that 
                environmental and economic justice are key 
                considerations in how we govern. That means investing 
                and building a clean energy economy that creates well-
                paying union jobs, turning disadvantaged communities--
                historically marginalized and overburdened--into 
                healthy, thriving communities, and undertaking robust 
                actions to mitigate climate change while preparing for 
                the impacts of climate change across rural, urban, and 
                Tribal areas. Agencies shall make achieving 
                environmental justice part of their missions by 
                developing programs, policies, and activities to 
                address the disproportionately high and adverse human 
                health, environmental, climate-related and other 
                cumulative impacts on disadvantaged communities, as 
                well as the accompanying economic challenges of such 
                impacts. It is therefore the policy of my 
                Administration to secure environmental justice and spur 
                economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities that 
                have been historically marginalized and overburdened by 
                pollution and underinvestment in housing, 
                transportation, water and wastewater infrastructure, 
                and health care.

                Sec. 220. White House Environmental Justice Interagency 
                Council. (a) Section 1-102 of Executive Order 12898 of 
                February 11, 1994 (Federal Actions To Address 
                Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-
                Income Populations), is hereby amended to read as 
                follows:

                    ``(a) There is hereby created within the Executive 
                Office of the President a White House Environmental 
                Justice Interagency Council (Interagency Council). The 
                Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality shall 
                serve as Chair of the Interagency Council.
                    ``(b) Membership. The Interagency Council shall 
                consist of the following additional members:

(i) the Secretary of Defense;

(ii) the Attorney General;

(iii) the Secretary of the Interior;

(iv) the Secretary of Agriculture;

(v) the Secretary of Commerce;

(vi) the Secretary of Labor;

(vii) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;

(viii) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;

[[Page 7630]]

(ix) the Secretary of Transportation;

(x) the Secretary of Energy;

(xi) the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers;

(xii) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;

(xiii) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

(xiv) the Executive Director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering 
Council;

(xv) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy;

(xvi) the National Climate Advisor;

(xvii) the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy; and

(xviii) the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.

                    ``(c) At the direction of the Chair, the 
                Interagency Council may establish subgroups consisting 
                exclusively of Interagency Council members or their 
                designees under this section, as appropriate.
                    ``(d) Mission and Work. The Interagency Council 
                shall develop a strategy to address current and 
                historic environmental injustice by consulting with the 
                White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council and 
                with local environmental justice leaders. The 
                Interagency Council shall also develop clear 
                performance metrics to ensure accountability, and 
                publish an annual public performance scorecard on its 
                implementation.
                    ``(e) Administration. The Office of Administration 
                within the Executive Office of the President shall 
                provide funding and administrative support for the 
                Interagency Council, to the extent permitted by law and 
                within existing appropriations. To the extent permitted 
                by law, including the Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 1535), and 
                subject to the availability of appropriations, the 
                Department of Labor, the Department of Transportation, 
                and the Environmental Protection Agency shall provide 
                administrative support as necessary.
                    ``(f) Meetings and Staff. The Chair shall convene 
                regular meetings of the Council, determine its agenda, 
                and direct its work. The Chair shall designate an 
                Executive Director of the Council, who shall coordinate 
                the work of the Interagency Council and head any staff 
                assigned to the Council.
                    ``(g) Officers. To facilitate the work of the 
                Interagency Council, the head of each agency listed in 
                subsection (b) shall assign a designated official 
                within the agency to be an Environmental Justice 
                Officer, with the authority to represent the agency on 
                the Interagency Council and perform such other duties 
                relating to the implementation of this order within the 
                agency as the head of the agency deems appropriate.''
                    (b) The Interagency Council shall, within 120 days 
                of the date of this order, submit to the President, 
                through the National Climate Advisor, a set of 
                recommendations for further updating Executive Order 
                12898.

                Sec. 221. White House Environmental Justice Advisory 
                Council. There is hereby established, within the 
                Environmental Protection Agency, the White House 
                Environmental Justice Advisory Council (Advisory 
                Council), which shall advise the Interagency Council 
                and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality.

                    (a) Membership. Members shall be appointed by the 
                President, shall be drawn from across the political 
                spectrum, and may include those with knowledge about or 
                experience in environmental justice, climate change, 
                disaster preparedness, racial inequity, or any other 
                area determined by the President to be of value to the 
                Advisory Council.
                    (b) Mission and Work. The Advisory Council shall be 
                solely advisory. It shall provide recommendations to 
                the White House Environmental Justice Interagency 
                Council established in section 220 of this order on how 
                to increase the Federal Government's efforts to address 
                current and historic environmental injustice, including 
                recommendations for updating Executive Order 12898.

[[Page 7631]]

                    (c) Administration. The Environmental Protection 
                Agency shall provide funding and administrative support 
                for the Advisory Council to the extent permitted by law 
                and within existing appropriations. Members of the 
                Advisory Council shall serve without either 
                compensation or reimbursement of expenses.
                    (d) Federal Advisory Committee Act. Insofar as the 
                Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. 
                App.), may apply to the Advisory Council, any functions 
                of the President under the Act, except for those in 
                section 6 of the Act, shall be performed by the 
                Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in 
                accordance with the guidelines that have been issued by 
                the Administrator of General Services.

                Sec. 222. Agency Responsibilities. In furtherance of 
                the policy set forth in section 219:

                    (a) The Chair of the Council on Environmental 
                Quality shall, within 6 months of the date of this 
                order, create a geospatial Climate and Economic Justice 
                Screening Tool and shall annually publish interactive 
                maps highlighting disadvantaged communities.
                    (b) The Administrator of the Environmental 
                Protection Agency shall, within existing appropriations 
                and consistent with applicable law:

(i) strengthen enforcement of environmental violations with 
disproportionate impact on underserved communities through the Office of 
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance; and

(ii) create a community notification program to monitor and provide real-
time data to the public on current environmental pollution, including 
emissions, criteria pollutants, and toxins, in frontline and fenceline 
communities--places with the most significant exposure to such pollution.

                    (c) The Attorney General shall, within existing 
                appropriations and consistent with applicable law:

(i) consider renaming the Environment and Natural Resources Division the 
Environmental Justice and Natural Resources Division;

(ii) direct that division to coordinate with the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency, through the Office of Enforcement and 
Compliance Assurance, as well as with other client agencies as appropriate, 
to develop a comprehensive environmental justice enforcement strategy, 
which shall seek to provide timely remedies for systemic environmental 
violations and contaminations, and injury to natural resources; and

(iii) ensure comprehensive attention to environmental justice throughout 
the Department of Justice, including by considering creating an Office of 
Environmental Justice within the Department to coordinate environmental 
justice activities among Department of Justice components and United States 
Attorneys' Offices nationwide.

                    (d) The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
                shall, consistent with applicable law and within 
                existing appropriations:

(i) establish an Office of Climate Change and Health Equity to address the 
impact of climate change on the health of the American people; and

(ii) establish an Interagency Working Group to Decrease Risk of Climate 
Change to Children, the Elderly, People with Disabilities, and the 
Vulnerable as well as a biennial Health Care System Readiness Advisory 
Council, both of which shall report their progress and findings regularly 
to the Task Force.

                    (e) The Director of the Office of Science and 
                Technology Policy shall, in consultation with the 
                National Climate Advisor, within existing 
                appropriations, and within 100 days of the date of this 
                order, publish a report identifying the climate 
                strategies and technologies that will result in the 
                most air and water quality improvements, which shall be 
                made public to the maximum extent possible and 
                published on the Office's website.

                Sec. 223. Justice40 Initiative. (a) Within 120 days of 
                the date of this order, the Chair of the Council on 
                Environmental Quality, the Director of the

[[Page 7632]]

                Office of Management and Budget, and the National 
                Climate Advisor, in consultation with the Advisory 
                Council, shall jointly publish recommendations on how 
                certain Federal investments might be made toward a goal 
                that 40 percent of the overall benefits flow to 
                disadvantaged communities. The recommendations shall 
                focus on investments in the areas of clean energy and 
                energy efficiency; clean transit; affordable and 
                sustainable housing; training and workforce 
                development; the remediation and reduction of legacy 
                pollution; and the development of critical clean water 
                infrastructure. The recommendations shall reflect 
                existing authorities the agencies may possess for 
                achieving the 40-percent goal as well as 
                recommendations on any legislation needed to achieve 
                the 40-percent goal.

                    (b) In developing the recommendations, the Chair of 
                the Council on Environmental Quality, the Director of 
                the Office of Management and Budget, and the National 
                Climate Advisor shall consult with affected 
                disadvantaged communities.
                    (c) Within 60 days of the recommendations described 
                in subsection (a) of this section, agency heads shall 
                identify applicable program investment funds based on 
                the recommendations and consider interim investment 
                guidance to relevant program staff, as appropriate and 
                consistent with applicable law.
                    (d) By February 2022, the Director of the Office of 
                Management and Budget, in coordination with the Chair 
                of the Council on Environmental Quality, the 
                Administrator of the United States Digital Service, and 
                other relevant agency heads, shall, to the extent 
                consistent with applicable law, publish on a public 
                website an annual Environmental Justice Scorecard 
                detailing agency environmental justice performance 
                measures.

                PART III--GENERAL PROVISIONS

                Sec. 301. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.

[[Page 7633]]

                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    January 27, 2021.

[FR Doc. 2021-02177
Filed 1-29-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P