Executive Order 13763: Providing an Order of Succession Within the Environmental Protection Agency
President: Barack Obama
Set an EPA Administrator succession list that remained in place until a replacement order in January 2021.
Status: Revoked — by EO 13973 on January 8, 2021.
Is Executive Order 13763 still in effect? No. EO 13973 revoked it in 2021.
What does Executive Order 13763 do?
EO 13763 placed the EPA General Counsel first after the Administrator and Deputy Administrator, followed by designated assistant administrators and regional administrators. It excluded officials serving only in an acting capacity and required eligibility under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. EO 13973 expressly revoked and replaced the order in January 2021, so the 2017 list is now historical.
Before and after
Before the order
EO 13737 contained the previous EPA succession list.
After the order
EO 13763 replaced EO 13737 until EO 13973 supplied a new sequence.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Listed EPA officials | Serve if eligible and the contingency arose | Ended |
| EPA | Maintain continuity under current authority | Continuing |
| President | Depart from the list when legally permitted | As needed |
What happened next
EO 13763 established the sequence and revoked EO 13737.
EO 13973 revoked and replaced EO 13763.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Federal Vacancies Reform Act and the currently operative succession order govern acting service. An acting official does not acquire permanent appointment through the order.
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 September 15, 2026. How we research →