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Executive Order 13016 Constitutional Fidelity (+0.23)

Executive Order 13016—Amendment to Executive Order 12580

William J. Clinton William J. Clinton
•
Wednesday, August 28, 1996
•
3 min read (607 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President William J. Clinton on 1996-08-28, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Amendment to Executive Order 12580." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 115 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (42 U.S.C.
▪ 9601 et seq.) (the "Act"), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby order that Executive Order No.
▪ 12580 of January 23, 1987, be amended by adding to section 4 the following new subsections: Section 1.
▪ Such authority shall not be exercised at any vessel or facility at which the Coast Guard is the lead Federal agency for the conduct or oversight of a response action.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants
Total Words
607
3,707 characters
Estimated Read Time
3 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
19
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.23
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 13016, William J. Clinton (Aug 28, 1996). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-13016-amendment-executive-order-12580.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 115 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) (the "Act"), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby order that Executive Order No. 12580 of January 23, 1987, be amended by adding to section 4 the following new subsections: Section 1. A new subsection (c)(3) is added to read as follows: "(3) Subject to subsections (a) and (b)(1) of this section, the functions vested in the President by sections 106(a) and 122 (except subsection (b)(1)) of the Act are delegated to the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Energy, to be exercised only with the concurrence of the Coast Guard, with respect to any release or threatened release in the coastal zone, Great Lakes waters, ports, and harbors, affecting (1) natural resources under their trusteeship, or (2) a vessel or facility subject to their custody, jurisdiction, or control. Such authority shall not be exercised at any vessel or facility at which the Coast Guard is the lead Federal agency for the conduct or oversight of a response action. Such authority shall not be construed to authorize or permit use of the Hazardous Substance Superfund to implement section 106 or to fund performance of any response action in lieu of the payment by a person who receives but does not comply with an order pursuant to section 106(a), where such order has been issued by the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Defense, or the Secretary of Energy. This subsection shall not be construed to limit any authority delegated by any other section of this order. Authority granted under this subsection shall be exercised in a manner to ensure interagency coordination that enhances efficiency and effectiveness." Sec. 2. A new subsection (d)(3) is added to section 4 to read as follows: "(3) Subject to subsections (a), (b)(1), and (c)(1) of this section, the functions vested in the President by sections 106(a) and 122 (except subsection (b)(1)) of the Act are delegated to the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Defense, and the Department of Energy, to be exercised only with the concurrence of the Administrator, with respect to any release or threatened release affecting (1) natural resources under their trusteeship, or (2) a vessel or facility subject to their custody, jurisdiction, or control. Such authority shall not be exercised at any vessel or facility at which the Administrator is the lead Federal official for the conduct or oversight of a response action. Such authority shall not be construed to authorize or permit use of the Hazardous Substance Superfund to implement section 106 or to fund performance of any response action in lieu of the payment by a person who receives but does not comply with an order pursuant to section 106(a), where such order has been issued by the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Defense, or the Secretary of Energy. This subsection shall not be construed to limit any authority delegated by any other section of this order. Authority granted under this subsection shall be exercised in a manner to ensure interagency coordination that enhances efficiency and effectiveness." William J. Clinton The White House, August 28, 1996. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., August 29, 1996]