Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13554: Establishing the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force

President: Barack Obama

Created an interagency task force to develop a long-term Gulf Coast ecosystem restoration strategy after Deepwater Horizon.

Status: Revoked.

Is Executive Order 13554 still in effect? No. Revoked when EO 13626 terminated the task force and transferred coordination to the RESTORE Council in 2012.

What does Executive Order 13554 do?

EO 13554 established an EPA-led task force with Gulf state representatives to coordinate restoration, science and funding and produce a strategy within one year. After Congress enacted the RESTORE Act, EO 13626 transferred federal coordination to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council and revoked EO 13554.

Administration position: The task force planned and coordinated restoration; it did not decide BP liability or appropriate restoration money.
SignedOctober 5, 2010
ChairEPA Administrator
Strategy deadlineWithin one year
RevokedEO 13626 in 2012

Before and after

Before the order

Post-spill restoration efforts lacked a single federal-state strategic body.

After the order

The task force issued a regional strategy that informed the statutory RESTORE Council.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Task forceDevelop and coordinate a strategyCompleted
EPAChair and support the bodyCompleted
Federal and Gulf state membersAlign restoration programsTransferred to successor council

What happened next

EO 13554 created the task force.

The RESTORE Act created a statutory council.

EO 13626 revoked EO 13554.