President Donald Trump has signed the “Modernizing America’s Water Resource Management and Water Infrastructure” Executive Order. The Executive Order is meant to ensure that Federal coordination on water policy is standard practice by formally establishing a Water Subcabinet of senior Federal agency officials. The Water Subcabinet is designed to facilitate efficient and effective management and modernization of the water supplies and systems in the United States, while also eliminating duplication between agencies.
Under the Executive Order, the Water Subcabinet will:
- Promote effective and efficient water resources management by reducing duplication between Federal agencies developing water policy;
- Develop a national water strategy to ensure the reliability of our water supplies, water quality, water systems, and water forecasting;
- Protect taxpayer investments and improve water infrastructure planning by promoting integrated planning and coordination for drinking water, wastewater, water reuse, water storage and delivery, and water resource management; and
- Support and enhance workforce development to recruit, train, and retain water sector professionals.
The Water Subcabinet will be cochaired by U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler, and will include senior officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, and the Department of the Army.
“The Trump Administration has made it a priority to ensure communities across the nation receive safe, reliable water,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt. “Today’s action by President Trump furthers our incredible efforts over the past three and a half years to cut bureaucratic red tape and improve water infrastructure.”
The Water Subcabinet will work in close coordination with senior officials from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and other federal agencies as appropriate.