Executive Order 14008

Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2021
Executive Order 14008—Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad
January 27, 2021
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 midcentury 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.

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(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

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which the United States can promote ending international financing of carbon-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.
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(e) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall consider the implications of climate change in
the Arctic, along our Nation's borders, and to National 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.
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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

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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 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.

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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 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

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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 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 lowincome 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,

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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, 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

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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 hardhit 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, 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

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(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.
(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.

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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;
(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.
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"(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.
(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,

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and toxins, in frontline and fenceline communities—places with the most significant
exposure to such pollution.
law:

(c) The Attorney General shall, within existing appropriations and consistent with applicable
(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 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 40percent 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

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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.
(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.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR.
The White House,
January 27, 2021.
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., January 29, 2021]
NOTE: This Executive order was published in the Federal Register on February 1.
Categories: Executive Orders : Climate crisis at home and abroad, efforts to tackle.
Subjects: Environment : Climate change.
DCPD Number: DCPD202100095.

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