Providing an Order of Succession Within the Environmental Protection Agency

This executive order establishes a formal line of succession for who would serve as acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency if both the Administrator and Deputy Administrator are unable to serve. It lists thirteen EPA officials in priority order, from General Counsel down to Deputy Regional Administrator of Region II, and revokes two earlier Bush-era succession orders.

Federal Register Open PDF 77 FR 31157

Key directives

Establish 13-person order of succession for EPA Administrator
Disqualify acting officials from ascending by virtue of their acting status
Require eligibility under Federal Vacancies Reform Act for all successors
Preserve presidential discretion to depart from this order
Revoke Executive Order 13261 (2002) and Executive Order 13344 (2004)

Timeline

Immediate

Order takes effect upon signing; succession line is now active

Near term (90d)

None specified

Long term

Remains in effect until superseded; governs any future succession events at EPA

Risks & tensions

Low-profile but structurally important for continuity of environmental regulation during crises
Presidential discretion clause (Sec. 2(c)) creates uncertainty about when this order would actually be followed
No specified process for temporary vs. extended vacancies; standard FVRA rules apply
Regional administrators ranked last may reflect geographic/political considerations