Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13061: Federal Support of Community Efforts Along American Heritage Rivers

President: Bill Clinton

Created a voluntary program to coordinate existing federal help for community-led river restoration, economic revitalization and heritage preservation.

Status: Revoked. Is Executive Order 13061 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13061 was revoked. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13061 do?

EO 13061 created the American Heritage Rivers initiative and an interagency committee. Communities nominated rivers voluntarily; selected communities received a federal “river navigator” and coordinated access to existing programs. The order expressly created no new regulatory power and protected state, tribal, local and private-property roles. EO 13093 later amended the process. The ten original designations remain historical, while the temporary advisory committee was later revoked.

Administration position: Designation coordinated existing assistance; it did not create a federal land-use zone, new permit requirement or federal control over a river corridor.
SignedSeptember 11, 1997
ObjectivesEnvironment, economic revitalization and heritage
Designated riversTen

Before and after

Before the order

Communities often navigated separate federal programs without a single river-focused liaison.

After the order

Selected communities received coordinated assistance and a river navigator under a voluntary framework.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Interagency committeeCoordinate existing federal resourcesHistorical framework
CEQ chairOversee nominations and designationsHistorical framework
River communitiesChoose whether to participateVoluntary

What happened next

EO 13061 created the initiative.

EO 13093 amended the initiative and advisory structure.

Ten American Heritage Rivers were designated.

EO 13225 revoked the completed advisory committee order.