Executive Order 13112: Invasive Species
President: Bill Clinton
Created the National Invasive Species Council and directed agencies to prevent introductions, control established species, restore habitats and coordinate a national plan.
Status: In effect as amended. EO 13751, December 5, 2016.
Is Executive Order 13112 still in effect? Yes. EO 13751 amended its agency duties, council membership and planning requirements on December 5, 2016. Interior’s council work plan dated January 13, 2026 relies on both orders. FY 2026 work plan.
What does Executive Order 13112 do?
EO 13112 established government-wide invasive-species duties and a cabinet-level council. Agencies must identify actions affecting invasive species, use their programs for prevention, rapid response, control, monitoring, restoration, research and education, and avoid actions likely to cause harmful introductions unless benefits clearly outweigh harm and risks are minimized. EO 13751 modernized definitions, membership and planning in 2016.
Before and after
Before the order
Federal invasive-species responsibilities were divided among programs without this common prevention and planning framework.
After the order
A cabinet council and national management plan coordinated prevention, response, control and restoration across agencies.
The practical instructions run to federal agencies. A landowner or importer must still look to the applicable statutes, regulations and permits: the order alone is not a universal private ban on every non-native organism. The original definition combined non-native status with actual or likely harm. Original definitions and agency duties.
Who had to do what
| Agency or official | Direction | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Federal agencies with relevant actions | Identify relevant actions; use existing authority and appropriations for prevention, response, monitoring, restoration, research and education. Avoid harmful introductions unless the order’s benefits and mitigation conditions are met. | Continuing under original section 2; duties replaced and expanded in 2016. |
| Interior, Agriculture and Commerce Secretaries | Co-chair the council; Interior appoints the executive director with co-chair concurrence and supplies support. | Original section 3; no fixed appointment date. |
| Interior Secretary | Establish and support a stakeholder advisory committee under FACA; appoint members after consultation. | Original section 3(b); no fixed establishment date. |
| Invasive Species Council | Coordinate agencies and stakeholders; prepare and evaluate a national management plan; review effectiveness and report to OMB. | Originally: first plan within 18 months, biennial updates, effectiveness reviews at least every five years. These intervals were replaced in 2016. |
| Agencies assigned plan recommendations | Act on a recommendation or explain infeasibility to the council. | Originally within 18 months of a recommendation; not a current universal deadline after the 2016 replacement. |
| State, Treasury, Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Transportation and EPA heads | Serve as original named council members. State approves international cooperation; State and Defense have specified exemption authority. | Original composition; expanded in 2016. |
| Council on Environmental Quality | Consult with the council on guidance concerning NEPA. | Original section 4(d); no separate fixed deadline. |
| Office of Management and Budget | Receive plans, evaluations and effectiveness reviews. | Original planning/review intervals; recipient, not a separately assigned deliverable. |
Original EO 13112, sections 2–5. These are historical instructions, not findings that every deadline was met.
What the 2016 amendment required instead
EO 13751 replaced sections 1–5 and expanded council membership. It required quarterly co-chair meetings, at least annual council meetings, a charter within one year and annual agency implementation information. The replacement national plan was due December 31, 2019, with evaluation and updates every three years and an annual public achievements report. HHS separately had a public-health report due within one year; an assessment of prevention-coordination challenges was due by 2020. EO 13751, sections 3–7.
What happened next
EO 13112 created the council and agency framework and revoked EO 11987. Official source.
The first national management plan identifies this as its hard-copy publication month; that does not establish an exact adoption day. Official source.
EO 13751 replaced core definitions, duties, membership and planning provisions while retaining the council. Official source.
The FY 2026 work plan identified coordination, early detection, biological control, islands and other priorities under both orders. A work plan is not proof that every proposed output was delivered. Official source.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
Actions remain limited by agency statutes, appropriations and environmental-review requirements. The benefits-versus-harm determination applies to federal actions within the order’s scope.
Original section 6 creates no privately enforceable right, preserves specified ballast-water obligations and provides defined State and Defense exemptions. The order coordinates existing authority rather than supplying an independent regulatory power. EO 13112, section 6.
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 16, 2026. How we research →