Executive Order 13261: Providing an Order of Succession in the Environmental Protection Agency and Amending Certain Orders on Succession
President: George W. Bush
Set an EPA Administrator succession sequence below the Deputy Administrator and amended nine recent department succession orders so an official serving only in an acting capacity could not advance through the presidential sequence.
Status: Revoked.
Is Executive Order 13261 still in effect? No. Revoked May 21, 2012; later EPA succession orders govern.
What does Executive Order 13261 do?
The order assigned these duties: Listed EPA officers — Act as Administrator in the stated order when both Administrator and Deputy were unavailable; Nine affected departments — Exclude officials serving only in an acting capacity from using their listed office to rise through the sequence.
Verified the EPA succession sequence and nine departmental amendments against the signed order. EO 13344 revised the EPA sequence and EO 13614 expressly revoked both orders in 2012.
Before and after
Before the order
EPA lacked this presidential succession sequence, and the recently issued departmental orders did not share the express acting-capacity restriction added here.
After the order
EPA used the sequence subject to the Vacancies Reform Act. EO 13344 amended the EPA list in 2004. EO 13614 revoked EO 13261 and EO 13344 in 2012 and supplied a replacement; later presidents replaced that sequence again.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Listed EPA officers | Act as Administrator in the stated order when both Administrator and Deputy were unavailable | During a qualifying vacancy or inability |
| Nine affected departments | Exclude officials serving only in an acting capacity from using their listed office to rise through the sequence | Whenever succession was required |
| President | Retain lawful discretion to depart from the presidential sequence | Case by case |
What happened next
EO 13261 signed.
EO 13261 established the EPA sequence and amended nine departmental orders.
EO 13344 revised the EPA succession list.
EO 13614 expressly revoked EO 13261 and EO 13344 and created a new list.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Federal Vacancies Reform Act governed eligibility, service length and exclusive duties; the order did not make a permanent appointment or eliminate Senate confirmation. The 2012 revocation ended its EPA sequence, while amendments it made to other orders must be read with those orders’ own later histories. No order-specific merits judgment was located.
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 →