The president issued Exec. Order No. 14007, establishing the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to advise the president on matters involving policy affecting science, technology, and innovation, as well as on matters involving scientific and technological information that is needed to inform public policy relating to the economy, worker empowerment, education, energy, the environment, public health, national and homeland security, racial equity, and other topics.

The president issued Exec. Order No. 13927, Accelerating the Nation's Economic Recovery from the COVID-19 Emergency by Expediting Infrastructure Investments and Other Activities, on June 4, 2020; the order directs agencies to take all reasonable measures to speed infrastructure investments and other actions that will strengthen the economy and return Americans to work, while providing appropriate protection for public health and safety, natural resources, and the environment as required by law.

The president issued Exec. Order No. 13917, Delegating Authority Under the Defense Production Act With Respect to Food Supply Chain Resources During the National Emergency Caused by the Outbreak of COVID-19, on April 28, 2020; the order delegates authority to the Secretary of Agriculture under §101(b) of the Defense Production Act to take all appropriate action to ensure that meat and poultry processors continue operations consistent with the guidance for their operations jointly issued by the CDC and OSHA and to identify additional specific food supply chain resources that meet the criteria of that section.

The president issued Exec. Order 13909, Prioritizing and Allocating Health and Medical Resources to Respond to the Spread of COVID-19, on March 18, 2020; the order finds that health and medical resources needed to respond to the spread of COVID-19 meet the criteria specified in §101(b) of the Defense Production Act of 1950 and delegates authority to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to determine nationwide priorities and allocation of all health and medical resources for responding to the spread of COVID-19 within the United States. 

In response to public comment, EPA clarified, modified, and added to certain provisions in a 2018 proposed rulemaking on strengthening transparency in regulatory science. 

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue increased its maximum civil monetary penalty rates for inflation occurring between October 2018 and October 2019. 

FERC issued its annual update to the fee schedule that lists per-acre rental fees for use of government lands by hydropower licensees. 

EPA adjusted the level of the maximum and minimum statutory civil monetary penalty amounts under the statutes that the Agency administers to reflect inflation.

CEQ proposed to update regulations for implementing the procedural requirements of NEPA to modernize and clarify the regulations and facilitate more efficient, effective, and timely NEPA reviews by federal agencies; revisions include removing the requirement that a project's cumulative effects be analyzed; adding a threshold accountability analysis for determining whether NEPA applies; establishing a two-year time limit on EISs and a one-year time limit on EAs; permitting joint records of decisions (RODs) for two or more federal agencies; and requiring joint schedules, a single ROD, and a single EIS for major infrastructure projects in which multiple agencies are involved pursuant to Exec. Order. No. 13807.

The federal agencies issued their semiannual regulatory agendas to update the public about regulations currently under development, reviews of existing regulations with small business impacts, and regulations completed or canceled since the last agenda. EPA’s agenda can be found at 84 FR 71189.