Congress appropriated hundreds of billions of dollars for climate, clean energy, and environmental justice programs to help protect public health. More than $200B has been awarded with at least 40 percent benefitting disadvantaged communities. Housing and historic land use policies, such as redlining, have placed communities of color and low-income communities disproportionately in industrial zones exposed to air pollution or in flood zones prone to destruction by hurricanes. These same communities often have less access to health care or opportunities for evacuation. While the OMB directed pause was rescinded, agencies are pausing or ending these programs, which will have a profound impact by further disinvesting in communities with higher climate health exposures and lower resilience.
A directive issued by the President that manages operations of the federal government. Executive orders have the force of law but must align with existing statutes and constitutional authority.
Who It Impacts: Federal agencies and employees, directing them on how to implement laws or carry out government functions. Executive orders can also influence businesses and individuals when they relate to issues like immigration, trade, or labor policies.
Who Is Not Impacted: Private citizens and businesses do not have to directly follow an executive order unless it leads to regulations or policies that apply to them. For example, an executive order directing federal agencies to increase renewable energy use does not mandate action from private companies, but it may influence policy shifts that eventually affect them.
Summary
This wide-ranging executive order includes actions to promote fossil fuel energy expansion and dismantle NEPA regulations, and mandates that all agencies immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that are related to climate change, infrastructure improvement, and public health protection.
Impact Analysis
Legal Challenges
Take Institutional Action
Associated or Derivative Policies
- Guidance from the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to Agency Heads on Implementing E.O. 14154 Unleashing American Energy. February 19, 2025.
- OMB Memo M-25-13. January 27, 2025, rescinded by OMB Memo M-25-14, January 29, 2025.
Policy Prior to 2025
This executive order revokes Carter and Biden administration related executive orders: 13990, 13992, 14008, 14007, 14013, 14027, 14030, 14037, 14057, 14072, 14082, and 14096.
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