Publication | Executive Actions Monitor

    Executive Actions Affecting Environment

    2025 Presidential Actions
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    These executive order (EO) summaries are based on a cursory review; our lawyers and policy professionals continue to analyze these documents, and the directives they contain. Among other things, some of the directed actions may present significant constitutional questions that could be litigated and subsequently overturned or blocked.


    April 24, 2025

    Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources

    An EO directing the Secretary of Commerce and other relevant officials to undertake various actions aimed at improving domestic seabed mineral exploration, extraction and processing, including by expediting licensing and approval processes and identifying priority seabed areas. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    April 9, 2025

    Maintaining Acceptable Water Pressure in Showerheads

    An EO directing the Secretary of Energy to rescind a regulation defining “showerhead.” A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    April 8, 2025

    Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241

    An EO directing cabinet members to take actions to reinvigorate the coal industry. This includes identifying and removing barriers to the mining of coal on federal lands, prioritizing coal extraction and coal-fired electricity generation, the removal of any guidance or rulemaking which seeks to transition the nation away from coal generation and the reclassification of coal as a mineral entitled to all benefits under EO 14241. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    April 8, 2025

    Protecting American Energy From State Overreach

    An EO directing the Attorney General to identify all State and Local laws that may burden the development of domestic energy production, which may be preempted by federal law, and to bring civil actions to enjoin their enforcement. This order highlights laws that purport to address climate change, environmental, social and governance (ESG), environmental justice, greenhouse gas emissions or the collection of carbon taxes. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    March 20, 2025

    Immediate Measures To Increase American Mineral Production

    An EO directing various actions to streamline and increase domestic critical mineral production, including identifying priority projects for permitting, soliciting industry feedback on regulatory bottlenecks, prioritizing federal land use for mineral production, and using the National Security Capital Forum to facilitate mineral production projects. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    February 14, 2025

    Establishing the National Energy Dominance Council

    An EO establishing the National Energy Dominance Council to advise the President on energy policy and provide recommendations for achieving US energy dominance. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    February 10, 2025

    Ending Procurement and Forced Use of Paper Straws

    An EO prohibiting the federal government from procuring paper straws and directing relevant agencies to issue a National Strategy to End the Use of Paper Straws within 45 days. A fact sheet on the EO can be found on the White House website.
     
    January 24, 2025

    Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas

    An EO directing various agency heads to take all necessary measures to ensure adequate water resources in Southern California. This includes overriding existing activities that “unduly burden” efforts to maximize water deliveries. The order further mandates a report within 30 days on California’s state and local policies or practices that are inconsistent with “sound” disaster prevention and response. Additionally, it outlines measures to support Los Angeles and North Carolina, including through housing displaced families and expediting waste removal.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Declaring a National Energy Emergency

    An EO directing federal agency leadership to exercise lawful emergency authorities to facilitate the production of domestic energy resources and to expedite the completion of all authorized and appropriated infrastructure, energy, environmental and natural resources projects. The EO further directs the Secretary of the Army to provide a report on actions to facilitate the nation’s energy supply that may be subject to emergency treatment and directs the Secretaries of Interior and Energy to coordinate an infrastructure assistance assessment.

     
    January 20, 2025

    Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential

    An EO directing all relevant agencies to prioritize the development of Alaska’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) potential, rescinding the cancellation of leases within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and directing the Secretary of the Interior to take several actions aimed at expediting the permitting and leasing of energy and natural resource projects in Alaska.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf From Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects

    A memorandum on wind energy leasing and permitting. The memorandum withdraws all areas within the Offshore Continental Shelf (OCS) from disposition for wind energy leasing and temporarily halts federal wind leasing and permitting practices for immediate review.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements

    An EO directing the US Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement and any other similar commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This EO also rescinds and revokes the US International Climate Finance Plan and ceases or revokes any purported financial commitments made under the UNFCCC.
     
    January 20, 2025

    Putting People Over Fish: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern California

    A memorandum directing the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the heads of relevant departments and agencies, to route more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other parts of the state.