Executive Order 13212: Actions To Expedite Energy-Related Projects
President: George W. Bush
Directed agencies to expedite lawful reviews and permits for energy production, transmission and conservation projects while maintaining safety, public-health and environmental protections, and created a CEQ-led interagency task force.
Status: In effect as amended.
Is Executive Order 13212 still in effect? Yes. Active as amended; continuing permitting policy.
What does Executive Order 13212 do?
The order assigned these duties: Executive departments and agencies — Expedite energy-project permits and related reviews where lawful and appropriate; CEQ-led interagency task force — Monitor reviews and coordinate federal, state, tribal and local permitting.
Before and after
Before the order
Energy-project permits proceeded under separate environmental, safety, public-land and sector-specific statutes without this government-wide presidential coordination directive.
After the order
Agencies received a common expedition policy and an interagency coordination mechanism. EO 13286 updated membership for Homeland Security, and EO 13302 added pipeline-safety work and reporting. The current United States Code continues to reproduce EO 13212 as amended.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Executive departments and agencies | Expedite energy-project permits and related reviews where lawful and appropriate | Ongoing |
| CEQ-led interagency task force | Monitor reviews and coordinate federal, state, tribal and local permitting | Ongoing under the order |
| Department of Energy | Provide the task force’s administrative home | Ongoing |
| CEQ chair and Transportation Secretary | Coordinate added pipeline-safety review functions | After the 2003 amendment |
What happened next
EO 13212 signed.
EO 13286 added the Department of Homeland Security to the task-force structure.
EO 13302 added pipeline safety, interagency agreements and reporting duties.
The Energy Policy Act required Interior and Agriculture to report on actions taken under the order.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The order repeatedly conditions expedition on existing law and preservation of safety, public-health and environmental protections. It does not waive NEPA, permitting statutes or judicial review, and its no-private-right clause leaves challenges to particular permits governed by the underlying statutes and the Administrative Procedure Act.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →