The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 17, 2013

Notice -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Stabilization of Iraq

NOTICE

- - - - - - -

CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY
WITH RESPECT TO THE STABILIZATION OF IRAQ

On May 22, 2003, by Executive Order 13303, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by obstacles to the continued reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq.

The obstacles to the continued reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. For this reason, the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303, as modified in scope and relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13315 of August 28, 2003, Executive Order 13350 of July 29, 2004, Executive Order 13364 of November 29, 2004, and Executive Order 13438 of July 17, 2007, must continue in effect beyond May 22, 2013. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency with respect to the stabilization of Iraq declared in Executive Order 13303.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
     May 17, 2013.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 17, 2013

Remarks by the President at Ellicott Dredges

Ellicott Dredges
Baltimore, Maryland

 

1:20 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Baltimore!  (Applause.)  Well, it is wonderful to see all of you.  Give Duncan a big round of applause for the great introduction.  (Applause.)  I want to thank all of you for the warm welcome, the great hospitality.  And I tell you what, I’m going to return the favor by hosting your Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens at the White House this summer.  (Applause.)  We’ll have Ray Lewis in the China Room -– what could go wrong?  (Laughter.)

I want to thank your CEO, Peter Bowe, and your plant manager, Robert Croom, and your entire team for showing me around this great facility.  I was told that one of your customers once named a dredge after President Clinton, so I’ve got my fingers crossed.  (Laughter.)  Never had a dredge named after me, so I’m looking after -- looking forward to that.

I’ve come here today to talk about our single most important priority as a country right now.  And that is reigniting the true engine of our economic growth, and that is a rising, thriving middle class.  (Applause.)  And as I said in my State of the Union address this year, that’s our North Star.  That’s what we have to focus on.  That’s what has to guide all our efforts. 

And we’ve got some great people who are championing middle-class families every single day.  First of all, your outstanding Governor -- come on -- Martin O’Malley.  (Applause.)  Your outstanding Mayor -- Madam Mayor.  (Applause.)  You’ve got some outstanding members of Congress, led by your senior Senator, Barbara Mikulski.  (Applause.)  And your own leader in the House of Representatives -- he is doing a great job every single day and he loves this state -- Steny Hoyer.  (Applause.) 

So we’ve got just some extraordinary folks here.  Let me make sure I’ve -- Elijah Cummings is here.  (Applause.)  But more importantly, Elijah’s mom is here.  (Applause.)  And we are so proud of Elijah, but his mom apparently prays for me every day, so I’m very grateful for her as well.

And all of these -- all of your members of Congress, every single day, are working, fighting on your behalf in terms of making sure that we’re growing an economy that creates outstanding middle-class jobs.  That’s the challenge that we should be rallying around every single day.  And I know it can seem frustrating sometimes when it seems like Washington’s priorities aren’t the same as your priorities.  I know it often seems like folks down there are more concerned with their jobs than with yours.  Others may get distracted by chasing every fleeting issue that passes by.  But the middle class will always be my number-one focus, period.  Your jobs, your families, your communities -- that’s why I ran for President.  That’s what drives me every day as I step into the Oval Office.  That’s what I’m going to keep fighting for over the next four years. 

And that’s why I’m so proud to have these partners.  John Sarbanes I saved for last, because Congressman Sarbanes, he himself is doing a great job, but when I first came in, his father was one of the people who I so admired in the Senate.  He had served for a long time.  And I remember just a conversation that we had -- he probably doesn’t remember it -- but I asked him -- I came and paid him a visit, and I asked him, “What’s your advice?”  He says, “Just keep in mind the people who sent you.”  Because here in Washington, sometimes people get distracted.  But you’re here to work on behalf of your constituencies.  And if you stick to that, you’re going to be just fine. 

And that’s what’s happening here in Maryland.  Under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, Maryland has won back almost 100 percent of the jobs that were claimed by the recession.  (Applause.)  So you might not know it if you were just watching the news and you’re exposed to all these partisan battles and brinksmanship in Washington, but the truth is there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about where this country is headed, especially after all we’ve been through over the past several years.  And that’s got to encourage us to roll up our sleeves, and work together, and take on the challenges that are still holding back the economy and holding down working families.

Now, the good news is in a little over three years, businesses like this one have created more than 6.5 million new jobs.  And while our unemployment rate is still too high, it’s the lowest it’s been since 2008.  (Applause.)  That's good news.

But that's not enough because we’ve also got to create even more good, middle-class jobs, and we’ve go to do it even faster. 

Corporate profits have skyrocketed at an all-time high. Now we’ve got to make sure that middle-class wages and incomes are going up too -– because families all across America haven’t seen their take-home pay rise for nearly a decade.  That's the next phase.  It’s good that companies are profitable.  I want you to be profitable.  I want you to be taking a little more home in your paycheck.  (Applause.)

Our housing market is healing.  But that's not enough.  Now we’ve got to help more families stay in their homes, or refinance to take advantage of these historically low interest rates. 

Our deficits are shrinking at the fastest rate in decades.  That's the truth.  That's worth an applause, sure.  (Applause.)  Because you wouldn’t always know that listening to folks in Washington.  But the fact is our deficits are going down faster than they have gone down in decades.  But we still have to create a budget that is smart and doesn’t hurt middle-class families or harm our critical investments into our future. 

Barbara Mikulski is on the Appropriations Committee; she’s fighting hard to make sure that this sequester that is slowing down growth, and we’re starting to see growth slowing down because of furloughs and cuts in defense spending, and a whole bunch of stuff that wasn’t well thought through -- we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got a budget that doesn't push our economy back down.  We need a budget that pushes our economy back up.

The American auto industry is thriving.  American energy is booming.  American ingenuity in our tech sector has the potential to change the way we do almost everything. 

And thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, we’ve been able to clear away the rubble of the crisis.  We’re now poised for progress, but our work is not done, and our focus cannot drift.  We’ve got to stay focused on our economy, and putting people back to work, and raising wages, and bringing manufacturing back to the United States of America.  That has to be what we’re thinking about every single day.  (Applause.)

The middle class has taken a beating for more than a decade.  You deserve folks in Washington who are willing to fight back on your behalf every single day.  Because every single day, you and Americans like you all across the country are working hard and living up to your responsibilities.  So you’ve got to have the same seriousness of purpose in your leaders. 

Now, I see three areas where we need to focus if we’re really going to keep the recovery going but take it to new heights.  Number one, we’ve got to make America a magnet for good jobs.  Number two, we’ve got to make sure that workers are able to get the education and skills they need to do those jobs.  Number three, we’ve got to make sure that, if and when you’re working hard, that that leads to a decent living.

And that’s why I wanted to come to Baltimore -- because a lot of people here in Baltimore, they work hard.  Baltimore has gone through tough times in the past, but Baltimore has come bouncing back.  (Applause.)

I started a few hours ago at a pre-K program at Moravia Park Elementary School.  (Applause.)  There, kids are getting a head start learning skills they need to succeed in college and the workplace.  And, by the way, this is a center that was named after Steny Hoyer’s late wife, Judy, because she and Steny share my belief in the importance of giving every kid every chance as early as possible. 

I got to help with one of the lessons -- we were having to draw zoo animals.  (Laughter.)  And I’ve got to say, my tiger was not very good.  (Laughter.)  The kids were unimpressed.  They kind of looked at it, they said, that doesn’t look like a tiger.  (Laughter.)  But they were amazing.

And later today, I’m going to visit with a program that helps people who have gone through some tough circumstances, especially low-income dads, and this program is now helping them get the training and the guidance they need to find work and support a family, which is a priority.  (Applause.)  And probably some of these folks who I’m meeting, they didn’t get that early childhood education that put them on the right track.  And what we want to do is, first of all, make sure our kids are getting the training they need, but if they missed out early on, we still want to give them opportunity on the backend.  

But obviously, the training of kids, giving them a good education, training older workers -- none of that is going to make a difference if we don’t have great companies that are hiring.  And that’s why I wanted to come to Ellicott. 

Ellicott Dredges, you guys are an example of what we can do to make America a magnet for good jobs.  After all, you all know a thing or two about growing the economy -- you’ve been doing it for more than a century.  This company was founded in 1885.  You’ve been right here on Bush Street since 1900.  This company built dredging equipment that helped dig the Panama Canal.  (Applause.)  That’s impressive.

What that means is this company, right here in Baltimore, literally helped create our global economy, because that was one of the first connectors that started to allow us to ship goods and cut the distances that integrated the world economy. 

And yet, after all this time, this company still has a set of core values that's lasted for generations.  Just like the folks who came before you, you’ve got that drive to make the best machines that money can buy; to sell products all over the world; to grow not just a business, but a community, and by doing that, you're growing our country.

And these values have seen you through an era of enormous change.  Your leaders saw the potential in developing markets like China and India and Brazil and Bangladesh.  So you ramped up your focus on airports -- on exports -- maybe on airports, too -- (laughter) -- but on exports.  And the federal government has worked with you as a partner to sell dredging equipment right out of this shop all over the world.  You maintained your quality.  You built a sales force that travels everywhere, outhustling the competition in search of new business.

All that hard work has paid off.  Today, this company, you have sold equipment to more than 100 different countries.  You’ve made new investments here at home.  You employ more than 200 people in Baltimore and Wisconsin and Kansas.  And over the past few decades, during some of the tough times for our workers, you were able to keep building equipment stamped with those three proud words:  Made in America.  And you're selling it around the world.  (Applause.)

As Steny Hoyer and some of these House members like to say, that means you're making it in America.

MR. HOYER:  All right.

THE PRESIDENT:  See, Steny gets excited.  (Laughter.)  You're actually making stuff here in America, but it also means that we're all making it here in America when you do what you're doing.  And this is a great example.  

And the good news is, more and more companies are following your example.  After shedding jobs for 10 years, our manufacturers have added more than 500,000 jobs over the past three years.  Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico.  Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan.  (Applause.)  After placing plants in other countries like China, Intel, which is making the chips in your smartphone and your iPad, all of these gizmos everybody is holding up right now -- (laughter) -- Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home, right here in America.  

Washington should be helping these kinds of success stories take root all across the country.  That’s why we’ve boosted -- my administration has boosted our efforts to help businesses export more of their goods and services.  That’s why we signed trade agreements that will protect American workers, but open up new markets and support tens of thousands of good-paying jobs. 

That’s why we reauthorized the Export-Import Bank.  And we are proud to have the bank’s chairman right here, Fred Hochberg.  He's here this afternoon.  He's helping this company as we speak sell more goods overseas.  And so today, exports are at an all-time high.  We are selling more stuff around the world.  We’ve added more than a million export-supported jobs since I took office.  (Applause.)

So all these steps are making a difference, but there’s more we can do.  We need to pursue new trade agreements with Europe and the Pacific region.  We need to invest in high-tech manufacturing centers, because I want the next revolution in manufacturing to be made here in America.

Our workers are at our best when we're building stuff.  So today, I’m also announcing the next step in our effort to cut through red tape that keeps big construction projects from getting off the ground.

Now, some of you, if you’ve heard me, I’m really big on us rebuilding our infrastructure in this country.  (Applause.)  I want to put people back to work improving our roads, our bridges, our airports, our ports.  (Applause.)  We were talking about the Panama Canal.  The Panama Canal is being revamped down in Panama so that it can accommodate even bigger ships.  And these cargo ships are so big that if we don’t remodel our ports here in the United States, they can’t dock at our ports.  They’ll dock someplace else.  We’ll lose that business.

So we’ve got to up our game when it comes to infrastructure.  And the good news is, when you do that, you’re putting people back to work right away, operating dredging equipment and doing other stuff, and you’re also laying the foundation for future economic growth.

Now, the problem is we’ve had some trouble out of Congress just going ahead and funding --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT:  I know, it’s surprising, isn’t it?  (Laughter.)  But we’ve had a little difficulty getting our Republican friends to work with us to find a steady funding source for these projects that everybody knows needs to happen.  But in fairness, one of the problems we’ve had in the past is, is that sometimes it takes too long to get projects off the ground.  There are all these permits and red tape and planning, and this and that, and some of it’s important to do, but we could do it faster. 

So a while back, what I did was I ordered everybody who was involved in approving projects to speed up the permitting process for 50 different big projects all across the country, from the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York to the Port of Charleston in South Carolina.  And we’ve been able to, in some cases, cut approval times from seven years down to a year.  So we’ve made progress.  (Applause.) 

Today, I’m directing agencies across the government to do what it takes to cut timelines for breaking ground on major infrastructure projects in half.  And what that will mean is, is that construction workers get back on the jobs faster.  It means more money going back into local economies, and it means more demand for outstanding dredging equipment that is made right here in Baltimore.  (Applause.) 

Now, as some of you know, one of the guys who has been working on this, he’s Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari, your former transportation secretary here in Maryland before Governor O’Malley generously agreed to share him with the entire country.  (Laughter.)

So those are some of the ways that we can create the conditions for businesses like this one to generate even more good jobs.  And these are the kinds of ideas that we have to stay focused on every single day.  This should be our principal focus:  How are we making ourselves more competitive; how are we training our workers so that they can do the jobs that need to be done; how can we make sure that we stay on the cutting edge in terms of technology; how are we making it easier for businesses to succeed.

And I’m going to keep trying to work with both parties in Washington to make progress -- because our challenges are solvable.  I travel all around the world, and I meet people from all walks of life.  And I can tell you, there’s not a country on Earth that wouldn’t trade places with the United States of America.  That’s really true.  (Applause.)  They know we’ve got all the ingredients to succeed.  We’ve got the answers.  The only thing that’s holding us back sometimes is a lack of political will.  Sometimes our leadership isn’t focused where we need to be focused.  And that’s where you come in.  It’s up to you and all the people across the country to tell the people in Washington, focus on getting stuff done.  We may not agree on the way to do certain things, but I think we all love our country.  We all want what’s best for our kids and our grandkids. 

Wouldn’t we be better off if every American could find a good job that pays the bills and lets you afford a home, and maybe take a vacation, put some money away to retire?  Wouldn’t we be better off if we knew that all of our kids were getting a good education from an earliest age; if we reformed our high schools for this new economy; if we’re helping more young people afford to go to college? 

Wouldn’t we be better off if every worker’s wage was a wage you could live on?  Nobody wants to be on welfare.  Nobody wants to have to rely on a handout.  They want to work.  But let’s make sure that work pays. 

Wouldn’t we be better off if every American could afford quality healthcare, and the peace of mind that comes with it?  That's why we passed health care reform.  (Applause.)  Wouldn’t we be better off if we did what’s necessary to protect more of our children from the horrors of gun violence?  (Applause.)

There are going to be disagreements about how we get there.  But let’s remind ourselves that when we work together nobody can stop us.  When we do the right thing -- that's what I believe.  That's what I’m going to keep fighting for.  That's what drives me -- is all the stories of people like you that I have the great honor of meeting and working with every single day.  You deserve leaders with the same dedication and commitment and focus that the people who work at this company bring to their jobs every single day.  And you look at those dredges up there -- and I met folks who have worked here 38 years, some who worked 40 years, and the pride that they take in their product and the way they all work together, that's the attitude that we’ve got to bring to bear here.

I think about a woman here, Myrna LaBarre.  Myrna LaBarre -- where is Myrna?  (Applause.)  There’s Myrna right here.  (Applause.)  Myrna LaBarre.  Myrna has been at Ellicott for more than 50 years.  (Applause.)  Now, that means she started when there were no child labor laws, because it was clearly illegal.  (Laughter.)  She was about four or five, and they started putting her to work, put a broom in her hand.  But when somebody asked Myrna what lessons she learned after 50 years working at the same company, she said, “Be honest, be helpful, accept your mistakes and improve upon them, be good to people, keep a good sense of humor, have the best work ethic possible, and handle the good times and get over the bad.”  That’s a pretty good recipe for success right there.  That’s who we are.  That’s who we are.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Myrna. 

I mean, that pretty much sums up everything.  (Laughter.)  That’s who we like to understand America to be, who we are as Americans.  We’re honest and helpful.  We work hard.  We’re good to others.  We handle the good times, and we get over the bad times.  If we keep that in mind, if we just all keep Myrna’s advice in mind, keep plugging away, keep fighting, we’ll build an even better America than we’ve got right now. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We’re praying!

THE PRESIDENT:  And I know you’re going to -- we can pray too, we’ll add that in there.  (Laughter and applause.) 

If we work to create more jobs, if we give every American the tools that they need for those jobs, if we make sure that hard work pays off and that responsibility is rewarded, then once again America is going to be the place where you can always make it if you try.  And we’ll all prosper together.  And we’ll make sure that America remains the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless America.  (Applause.)

END
1:46 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 17, 2013

Message -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Stabilization of Iraq

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency with respect to the stabilization of Iraq that was declared in Executive Order 13303 of May 22, 2003, is to continue in effect beyond May 22, 2013.

Obstacles to the continued reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. Accordingly, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency with respect to the stabilization of Iraq.

 

BARACK OBAMA

 

THE WHITE HOUSE,
     May 17, 2013.

President Obama Talks Early Education, Infrastructure and Strong Communities in Baltimore

Megan Slack
Megan Slack
May 17, 2013
02:00 PM EDT
President Barack Obama participates in a literacy lesson with children while visiting a pre-kindergarten classroom

President Barack Obama participates in a literacy lesson with children while visiting a pre-kindergarten classroom at Moravia Elementary School in Baltimore, Md., May 17, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today, President Obama is headed to Baltimore, Maryland to talk early childhood education, infrastructure and ensuring that hard work leads to a decent living.

The President’s first stop today was at Moravia Park Elementary School, where he took part in a literacy lesson with pre-k students. The students are part of the school’s Judy Center, which provides comprehensive early childhood services including Head Start, child care, intervention services and family engagement. (Learn more about President Obama’s plan to expand access to high-quality preschool to every child in America)

Related Topics: Jobs, Economy, Education, Urban Policy, Maryland

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
May 17, 2013

President and First Lady to Host Concert Honoring Carole King in the East Room

Wednesday, May 22 * White House – As part of their “In Performance at the White House” series, the President and First Lady will host a concert in the East Room honoring singer-songwriter Carole King, who will be awarded the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.  President Obama will present the award as he did when the Library of Congress honored Stevie Wonder (2009), Sir Paul McCartney (2010), and the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David (2012). The program will include performances by King, as well as Gloria Estefan, Billy Joel, Jesse McCartney, Emeli Sandé, James Taylor and Trisha Yearwood.

The President’s remarks will be pooled press and the entire event will be streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov/live starting at 7:00 PM ET.  “Carole King: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize In Performance at the White House” will be broadcast Tuesday, May 28 at 8:00 PM ET on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings).  The program will also be broadcast at a later date via the American Forces Network to American service men and women and civilians at U.S. Department of Defense locations around the world.

This will be the first time the Gershwin Prize honor has been awarded to a woman.  The Gershwin Prize commemorates George and Ira Gershwin, the legendary American songwriting team whose extensive manuscript collections reside in the Library of Congress. The prize is awarded to musicians whose lifetime contributions in the field of popular song exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins. 

The White House concert caps off two days of events celebrating the recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. On Tuesday, May 21st at 7:00 PM ET, the Library of Congress will host an invitation-only concert at their Coolidge Auditorium in honor of Carole King. The all-star tribute will include performances by Patti Austin, Colbie Caillat, Michael Feinstein, Siedah Garrett, Louise Goffin, Shelby Lynne, Gian Marco, Arturo Sandoval and a special performance by honoree Carole King. This event will be open to press, but space is limited. Members of the media who wish to cover this event must contact Sheryl Cannady at 202-707-6456 or scannady@loc.gov.

 “Carole King: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize In Performance at the White House” will be the eleventh “In Performance at the White House” program hosted by the President and Mrs. Obama.  Starting in February 2009, these events have honored the musical genius of Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach and Hal David; celebrated Hispanic musical heritage during Hispanic Heritage Month; marked Black History Month with events featuring music from the Civil Rights Movement, Motown, Memphis Soul and the Blues; spotlighted Broadway and the unique spirit of the American musical; and explored the rich roots and resiliency of Country Music.

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Building a 21st Century Infrastructure: Better Outcomes, Faster Timelines, and Less Red Tape

Posted by Secretary Ray LaHood and Sylvia Burwell on May 17, 2013 at 10:28 AM EDT

President Obama today signed a Presidential Memorandum that will shave months, and even years, off the time it takes to review and approve major infrastructure projects. This means that states, local governments, and private developers will be able to start construction sooner, create jobs earlier, and fix our nation’s infrastructure faster.

On March 22, 2012, the President issued an Executive Order launching a government-wide initiative to improve the efficiency of federal review and permitting of infrastructure projects. Since then, agencies have expedited the review and permitting of 50 major projects, including bridges, transit , railways, waterways, roads, and renewable energy projects.  

Federal agencies have also identified a set of best practices for efficient review and permitting. Those range from expanding information technology (IT) tools to strategies - like simultaneous review - for improving collaboration. Today’s Presidential Memorandum directs all relevant agencies to put these best practices into effect.

Cutting red tape and streamlining the process for making permitting decisions will help us meet the President’s goal of cutting in half the timelines for major infrastructure projects, while creating better outcomes for our communities and for the environment.

The President’s initiative is already showing real results. For example, this afternoon, President Obama and Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari will visit Baltimore, where we sped up the approval process for the city’s Red Line rail transit corridor by six months.

We also recently expedited Federal approval for the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project in New York. By speeding up the approval process, Federal agencies trimmed up to three years off the timeline for this multi-billion dollar project that will help put Americans back to work.

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 17, 2013

Presidential Memorandum -- Modernizing Federal Infrastructure Review and Permitting Regulations, Policies, and Procedures

May 17, 2013

MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

SUBJECT: Modernizing Federal Infrastructure Review and Permitting Regulations, Policies, and Procedures

Reliable, safe, and resilient infrastructure is the backbone of an economy built to last. Investing in our Nation's infrastructure serves as an engine for job creation and economic growth, while bringing immediate and long-term economic benefits to communities across the country. The quality of our infrastructure is critical to maintaining our Nation's competitive edge in a global economy and to securing our path to energy independence. In taking steps to improve our infrastructure, we must remember that the protection and continued enjoyment of our Nation's environmental, historical, and cultural resources remain an equally important driver of economic opportunity, resiliency, and quality of life.

Through the implementation of Executive Order 13604 of March 22, 2012 (Improving Performance of Federal Permitting and Review of Infrastructure Projects), executive departments and agencies (agencies) have achieved better outcomes for communities and the environment and realized substantial time savings in review and permitting by prioritizing the deployment of resources to specific sectors and projects, and by implementing best-management practices.

These best-management practices include: integrating project reviews among agencies with permitting responsibilities; ensuring early coordination with other Federal agencies, as well as with State, local, and tribal governments; strategically engaging with, and conducting outreach to, stakeholders; employing project-planning processes and individual project designs that consider local and regional ecological planning goals; utilizing landscape- and watershed-level mitigation practices; promoting the sharing of scientific and environmental data in open-data formats to minimize redundancy, facilitate informed project planning, and identify data gaps early in the review and permitting process; promoting performance-based permitting and regulatory approaches; expanding the use of general permits where appropriate; improving transparency and accountability through the electronic tracking of review and permitting schedules; and applying best environmental and cultural practices as set forth in existing statutes and policies.

Based on the process and policy improvements that are already being implemented across the Federal Government, we can continue to modernize the Federal Government's review and permitting of infrastructure projects and reduce aggregate timelines for major infrastructure projects by half, while also improving outcomes for communities and the environment by institutionalizing these best-management practices, and by making additional improvements to enhance efficiencies in the application of regulations and processes involving multiple agencies -- including expanding the use of web-based techniques for sharing project-related information, facilitating targeted and relevant environmental reviews, and providing meaningful opportunities for public input through stakeholder engagement.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to advance the goal of cutting aggregate timelines for major infrastructure projects in half, while also improving outcomes for communities and the environment, I hereby direct the following:

Section 1. Modernization of Review and Permitting Regulations, Policies, and Procedures. (a)      The Steering Committee on Federal Infrastructure Permitting and Review Process Improvement (Steering Committee), established by Executive Order 13604, shall work with the Chief Performance Officer (CPO), in coordination with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), to modernize Federal infrastructure review and permitting regulations, policies, and procedures to significantly reduce the aggregate time required by the Federal Government to make decisions in the review and permitting of infrastructure projects, while improving environmental and community outcomes.

This modernization shall build upon and incorporate reforms identified by agencies pursuant to Executive Order 13604 and Executive Order 13563 of January 18, 2011 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review).

(b)      Through an interagency process, coordinated by the CPO and working closely with CEQ and OIRA, the Steering Committee shall conduct the following modernization efforts:

(i)      Within 60 days of the date of this memorandum, the Steering Committee shall identify and prioritize opportunities to modernize key regulations, policies, and procedures -- both agency-specific and those involving multiple agencies -- to reduce the aggregate project review and permitting time, while improving environmental and community outcomes.

(ii)      Within 120 days of the date of this memorandum, the Steering Committee shall prepare a plan for a comprehensive modernization of Federal review and permitting for infrastructure projects based on the analysis required by subsection (b)(i)      of this section that outlines specific steps for re-engineering both the intra- and inter-agency review and approval processes based on experience implementing Executive Order 13604. The plan shall identify proposed actions and associated timelines to:

(1)      institutionalize or expand best practices or process improvements that agencies are already implementing to improve the efficiency of reviews, while improving outcomes for communities and the environment;

(2)      revise key review and permitting regulations, policies, and procedures (both agency-specific and Government-wide);

(3)      identify high-performance attributes of infrastructure projects that demonstrate how the projects seek to advance existing statutory and policy objectives and how they lead to improved outcomes for communities and the environment, thereby facilitating a faster and more efficient review and permitting process;

(4)      create process efficiencies, including additional use of concurrent and integrated reviews;

(5)      identify opportunities to use existing share-in-cost authorities and other non-appropriated funding sources to support early coordination and project review;

(6)      effectively engage the public and interested stakeholders;

(7)      expand coordination with State, local, and tribal governments;

(8)      strategically expand the use of information technology (IT) tools and identify priority areas for IT investment to replace paperwork processes, enhance effective project siting decisions, enhance interagency collaboration, and improve the monitoring of project impacts and mitigation commitments; and

(9)      identify improvements to mitigation policies to provide project developers with added predictability, facilitate landscape-scale mitigation based on conservation plans and regional environmental assessments, facilitate interagency mitigation plans where appropriate, ensure accountability and the long-term effectiveness of mitigation activities, and utilize innovative mechanisms where appropriate.

The modernization plan prepared pursuant to this section shall take into account funding and resource constraints and shall prioritize implementation accordingly.

(c)      Infrastructure sectors covered by the modernization effort include: surface transportation, such as roadways, bridges, railroads, and transit; aviation; ports and related infrastructure, including navigational channels; water resources projects; renewable energy generation; conventional energy production in high-demand areas; electricity transmission; broadband; pipelines; storm water infrastructure; and other sectors as determined by the Steering Committee.

(d)      The following agencies or offices and their relevant sub-divisions shall engage in the modernization effort:

(i)      the Department of Defense;

(ii)      the Department of the Interior;

(iii)      the Department of Agriculture;

(iv)      the Department of Commerce;

(v)      the Department of Transportation;

(vi)      the Department of Energy;

(vii)      the Department of Homeland Security;

(viii)      the Environmental Protection Agency;

(ix)      the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation;

(x)      the Department of the Army;

(xi)      the Council on Environmental Quality; and

(xii)      such other agencies or offices as the CPO may invite to participate.

Sec. 2. General Provisions. (a)      Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)      the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)      the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals, or the regulatory review process.

(b)      This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)      This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with Executive Order 12898 of February 11, 1994 (Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations), Executive Order 13175 of November 6, 2000 (Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments), and my memorandum of November 5, 2009 (Tribal Consultation).

(d)      This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

(e)      The Director of the Office of Management and Budget is hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 17, 2013

Creating Jobs Faster by Cutting Timelines in Half for Major Infrastructure Projects

As part of the Administration’s effort to make America a magnet for jobs by building a 21st Century infrastructure, President Obama will sign a Presidential Memorandum that will modernize the Federal infrastructure permitting process, cutting timelines in half for major infrastructure projects while creating incentives for better outcomes for communities and the environment. 
 
By cutting red tape and shaving months, and even years, off the time it takes to review and approve major infrastructure projects, we will be able to start construction sooner, create jobs earlier, and fix our Nation’s infrastructure faster. 
 
In March 2012, the President issued an Executive Order launching a government-wide initiative to improve the efficiency of Federal review and permitting of infrastructure projects.  Since then, agencies have expedited the review and permitting of 50 major projects, including bridges, transit projects, railways, waterways, roads, and renewable energy.  In just one example, Federal agencies recently approved the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project in New York, saving up to three years on the timeline of a multi-billion project that will help put Americans back to work.
 
As a result of the President’s Executive Order, agencies have also identified a set of best practices for efficient review and permitting, which range from expanding information technology (IT) tools to strategies for improving collaboration, such as having multiple agencies review a project at the same time, instead of one after the other.  Today’s Presidential Memorandum institutionalizes these best practices, directing all relevant agencies to put them into effect.
 
Further details on this initiative and the results achieved so far can be found in the Administration’s first annual Report to the President, which was also published today.  And results of specific projects can be tracked on the Administration’s Infrastructure Permitting Dashboard, a new tool that provides an unprecedented level of transparency into the Federal permitting and review process.  
 
This permitting modernization effort represents an important component of the President’s larger effort to grow the economy, accelerate job creation, and improve U.S. competitiveness by building a 21st Century infrastructure.  Notably, the President’s Budget calls for immediately investing $50 billion in our Nation’s transportation infrastructure, with $40 billion devoted to “fix-it-first” projects that target areas in the most urgent need of repair.  The President also proposed a “Rebuild America Partnership,” creating tools to encourage partnerships between the private sector and Federal, State, and local governments to enhance the role of private capital in U.S. infrastructure investment and ensure America has the best transportation, electric, water, and communications networks in the world.

West Wing Week: 05/17/13 or “We the Geeks”

May 16, 2013 | 05:01 | Public Domain

This week, the President honored fallen officers and top cops, spoke on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, invited both the Prime Minister of England and of Turkey to the White House, and kicked off a new Google hangout series on science and technology.

Download mp4 (173MB)

West Wing Week: 05/17/13 or “We the Geeks”

pmarvucic
May 17, 2013
12:00 AM EDT

This week, the President honored fallen officers and top cops, spoke on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, invited both the Prime Minister of England and of Turkey to the White House, and kicked off a new Google hangout series on science and technology. 

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