Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness, 8629-8631 [2025-02096]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 20 (Friday, January 31, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 8629-8631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-02096]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 20 / Friday, January 31, 2025 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 8629]]


                Executive Order 14172 of January 20, 2025

                
Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, it is hereby ordered:

                Section 1. Purpose and Policy. It is in the national 
                interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our 
                Nation and ensure future generations of American 
                citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes. 
                The naming of our national treasures, including 
                breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, 
                should honor the contributions of visionary and 
                patriotic Americans in our Nation's rich past.

                Sec. 2. Appointments to the U.S. Board on Geographic 
                Names. (a) Within seven days of the date of this order, 
                each agency head with authority to appoint members to 
                the Board on Geographic Names (Board) pursuant to 43 
                U.S.C. 364a, shall review their respective appointees 
                and consider replacing those appointees in accordance 
                with applicable law.

                    (b) The Secretary of the Interior shall review and 
                consider additional appointments to the Board to assist 
                in fulfilling all aspects of this order, subject to all 
                applicable laws.
                    (c) With respect to all applications for naming and 
                renaming submitted to the newly constituted Board, the 
                Board shall advance the policy established in section 1 
                of this order to honor the contributions of visionary 
                and patriotic Americans and may update its principles, 
                policies, and procedures as needed to achieve this 
                policy.
                    (d) Where Congressional action is required to 
                establish a renaming in public law, following Board 
                approval on renaming, the Board shall provide guidance 
                to all relevant Federal agencies to use the Board-
                approved name in the interim in federal documents and 
                achieve consistency across the federal government.

                Sec. 3. Renaming of Mount McKinley. (a) President 
                William McKinley, the 25th President of the United 
                States, heroically led our Nation to victory in the 
                Spanish-American War. Under his leadership, the United 
                States enjoyed rapid economic growth and prosperity, 
                including an expansion of territorial gains for the 
                Nation. President McKinley championed tariffs to 
                protect U.S. manufacturing, boost domestic production, 
                and drive U.S. industrialization and global reach to 
                new heights. He was tragically assassinated in an 
                attack on our Nation's values and our success, and he 
                should be honored for his steadfast commitment to 
                American greatness.

                In 1917, the country officially honored President 
                McKinley through the naming of North America's highest 
                peak. Yet after nearly a century, President Obama's 
                administration, in 2015, stripped the McKinley name 
                from federal nomenclature, an affront to President 
                McKinley's life, his achievements, and his sacrifice.

                This order honors President McKinley for giving his 
                life for our great Nation and dutifully recognizes his 
                historic legacy of protecting America's interests and 
                generating enormous wealth for all Americans.

                    (b) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the 
                Secretary of the Interior shall, consistent with 43 
                U.S.C. 364 through 364f, reinstate the name ``Mount 
                McKinley.'' The Secretary shall subsequently update the 
                Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect 
                the renaming and reinstatement of

[[Page 8630]]

                Mount McKinley. The national park area surrounding 
                Mount McKinley shall retain the name Denali National 
                Park and Preserve.
                    (c) The Secretary of the Interior shall work with 
                Alaska Native entities and state and local 
                organizations to adopt names for landmarks to honor the 
                history and culture of the Alaskan people.

                Sec. 4. Gulf of America. (a) The area formerly known as 
                the Gulf of Mexico has long been an integral asset to 
                our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an 
                indelible part of America. The Gulf was a crucial 
                artery for America's early trade and global commerce. 
                It is the largest gulf in the world, and the United 
                States coastline along this remarkable body of water 
                spans over 1,700 miles and contains nearly 160 million 
                acres. Its natural resources and wildlife remain 
                central to America's economy today. The bountiful 
                geology of this basin has made it one of the most 
                prodigious oil and gas regions in the world, providing 
                roughly 14% of our Nation's crude-oil production and an 
                abundance of natural gas, and consistently driving new 
                and innovative technologies that have allowed us to tap 
                into some of the deepest and richest oil reservoirs in 
                the world. The Gulf is also home to vibrant American 
                fisheries teeming with snapper, shrimp, grouper, stone 
                crab, and other species, and it is recognized as one of 
                the most productive fisheries in the world, with the 
                second largest volume of commercial fishing landings by 
                region in the Nation, contributing millions of dollars 
                to local American economies. The Gulf is also a 
                favorite destination for American tourism and 
                recreation activities. Further, the Gulf is a vital 
                region for the multi-billion-dollar U.S. maritime 
                industry, providing some of the largest and most 
                impressive ports in the world. The Gulf will continue 
                to play a pivotal role in shaping America's future and 
                the global economy, and in recognition of this 
                flourishing economic resource and its critical 
                importance to our Nation's economy and its people, I am 
                directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of 
                America.

                    (b) As such, within 30 days of the date of this 
                order, the Secretary of the Interior shall, consistent 
                with 43 U.S.C. 364 through 364f, take all appropriate 
                actions to rename as the ``Gulf of America'' the U.S. 
                Continental Shelf area bounded on the northeast, north, 
                and northwest by the States of Texas, Louisiana, 
                Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and extending to the 
                seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba in the area 
                formerly named as the Gulf of Mexico. The Secretary 
                shall subsequently update the GNIS to reflect the 
                renaming of the Gulf and remove all references to the 
                Gulf of Mexico from the GNIS, consistent with 
                applicable law. The Board shall provide guidance to 
                ensure all federal references to the Gulf of America, 
                including on agency maps, contracts, and other 
                documents and communications shall reflect its 
                renaming.

                Sec. 5. Additional Action. The Secretary of Interior 
                may solicit public and intergovernmental input 
                regarding additional patriots to honor, particularly in 
                light of America's semiquincentennial celebration, and 
                shall recommend action to me, through the Assistant to 
                the President for Domestic Policy.

                Sec. 6. 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 8631]]

                    (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 20, 2025.

[FR Doc. 2025-02096
Filed 1-30-25; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P