in effect
This is Executive Order 14181, signed January 24, 2025, directing federal agencies to act on two fronts: increasing water availability in Southern California and speeding disaster response after the Los Angeles wildfires and Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. It orders Cabinet secretaries and agency heads to use their existing legal authorities, override state or local policies the order says restrict water delivery, and report back on deadlines.
It sets specific deadlines: agencies must report within 15 days on all authorities to secure water infrastructure; designated officials have 30 days to flag regulatory obstacles to water projects; a debris-removal plan for the LA fire areas is due within 5 days; and the Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce secretaries have 30 days to report on California policies they consider inconsistent with sound disaster response. The Interior Department (through the Bureau of Reclamation) is directed to operate the Central Valley Project to deliver more water “notwithstanding any contrary State or local laws,” to pursue a new Record of Decision maximizing deliveries, and to expedite an Endangered Species Act exemption. The Office of Management and Budget must review federal water and disaster programs and recommend action on California’s compliance with federal grant terms. The order also states the City of Los Angeles has not used most of a $213 million federal preparedness grant allotment accrued since fiscal year 2021, directs FEMA to enable its timely use, bars those grants from supporting “illegal aliens,” and directs the Attorney General to investigate alleged misuse. For North Carolina, it directs immediate work to clear or rebuild roads including a closed section of Interstate 40 and to expedite housing for Hurricane Helene survivors.
Federal agencies (Interior, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security/FEMA, Agriculture, Justice, HUD, Transportation, EPA, Small Business Administration, and OMB) carry out the directives, while California state and local governments — named agencies include the California Department of Water Resources and the City of Los Angeles — are directly targeted by the water-delivery override and grant reviews. Wildfire survivors in the Los Angeles area and Hurricane Helene survivors in North Carolina are the intended beneficiaries of the housing, debris-removal, and road-rebuilding provisions. The order states it creates no legal rights enforceable by any party and must be carried out consistent with applicable law and available funding.