Executive Order 12319

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States, in order to ensure the orderly termination of the six river basin commissions established pursuant to the Water Resources Planning Act (42 U.S.C. 1962 et seq.), it is hereby ordered as follows:

.


 * In accord with the decision of the Water Resources Council pursuant to Section 203(a) of the Water Resources Planning Act (42 U.S.C. 1962b-2(a)), the following river basin commissions shall terminate on the date indicated:

.


 * All Federal agencies shall cooperate with the commissions and the member States to achieve an orderly close out of commission activities and, if the member States so elect, to carry out an orderly transition of appropriate commission activities to the member States.

.


 * To the extent permitted by law, the assets of the commissions which the Federal Government might otherwise be entitled to claim are to be transferred to the member States of the commissions, or such entities as the States acting through their representatives on the commissions may designate, to be used for such water and related land resources planning purposes as the States may decide among themselves. The terms and conditions for transfer of assets under this Section shall be subject to the approval of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, or such Federal agency as he designates, before the transfer is effective.

.


 * Federal agency members of river basin commissions are directed to continue coordination and cooperation in future State and inter-State basin planning arrangements.

.

RONALD REAGAN The White House, September 9, 1981.

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 2:30 p.m., September 10, 1981] Note: The text of the Executive order was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on September 10.