Executive Order 13605: Supporting Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources
President: Barack Obama
Created a White House-led working group to coordinate federal policy on hydraulic fracturing and unconventional gas.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13605 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13605 remains an unrevoked coordination order with no automatic expiration date. The Federal Register disposition table records no revocation, and the 2025 orders on American energy and the National Energy Dominance Council do not revoke it; this does not establish that its original working group is currently meeting. Sources: Federal Register 2012 executive order disposition table, EO 13605; Signed Executive Order 13605; Executive Order 14154, Unleashing American Energy; Executive Order 14213, National Energy Dominance Council.
What does Executive Order 13605 do?
EO 13605 brought deputy-level officials together to coordinate research, regulation and stakeholder engagement on rapidly expanding shale gas development. It emphasized safe production, public-health and environmental protection, state roles and consistent federal communication. The working group’s original public-facing activity faded after the Obama administration, while later presidents adopted substantially different energy councils, permitting priorities and natural-gas policies.
Before and after
Before the order
Agencies pursued shale-gas research, environmental safeguards and energy policy through separate programs.
After the order
A high-level working group aligned research and policy during the development boom, subject to existing law.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Working group | Coordinate policy research and stakeholder engagement | No longer publicly prominent |
| Regulatory agencies | Exercise their own statutory authorities | Continuing |
| Current energy councils and departments | Set present natural-gas priorities | Continuing under later directives |
What happened next
EO 13605 established the working group.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, mineral-leasing laws and state law govern individual activities. The order created no new regulatory power.
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.
- White House — Unleashing American Energy (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 15, 2026. How we research →