Executive Order 3474 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)
Executive Order 3474—Transferring Naval Petroleum Reserves in California and Wyoming, and Naval Shale Reserves in Colorado and Utah, Under the Control of the Interior Secretary, Under Supervision of the President
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
This executive order, signed by President Warren G. Harding on 1921-05-31, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Transferring Naval Petroleum Reserves in California and Wyoming, and Naval Shale Reserves in Colorado and Utah, Under the Control of the Interior Secretary, Under Supervision of the President." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.
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
▪3 in Wyoming and naval shale reserves in Colorado and Utah, are hereby committed to the Secretary of the Interior subject to the supervision of the President but no general policy as to drilling or reserving lands located in a naval reserve shall be changed or adopted except upon consultation and in cooperation with the Secretary or Acting Secretary of the Navy.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments
Total Words
246
1,494 characters
Estimated Read Time
1 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
24.4
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 3474, Warren G. Harding (May 31, 1921). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-3474-transferring-naval-petroleum-reserves-california-and-wyoming-and.
Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
Under the provisions of the act of Congress approved February 25, 1920 (41 Stat 437), authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to lease producing oil wells within any naval petroleum reserve; authorizing the President to permit the drilling of additional wells or to lease the remainder or any part of a claim upon which such wells have been drilled, and under authority of the act of Congress approved June 4, 1920 (41 Stat. 912), directing the Secretary of the Navy to conserve, develop, use, and operate, directly or by contract, lease, or otherwise, unappropriated lands in naval reserves, the administration, and conservation, of all oil and gas bearing lands in naval petroleum reserves Nos 1 and 2, California, and naval petroleum reserve No. 3 in Wyoming and naval shale reserves in Colorado and Utah, are hereby committed to the Secretary of the Interior subject to the supervision of the President but no general policy as to drilling or reserving lands located in a naval reserve shall be changed or adopted except upon consultation and in cooperation with the Secretary or Acting Secretary of the Navy. The Secretary of the Interior is authorized and directed to perform any and all acts necessary for the protection, conservation, and administration of the said reserves subject to the conditions and limitations contained in this order and the existing laws or such laws as may hereafter be enacted by Congress pertaining thereto. WARREN G. HARDING THE WHITE HOUSE, May 31, 1921.
