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Executive Order 12123 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 12123—Offshore Oil Spill Pollution

Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter
•
Monday, February 26, 1979
•
2 min read (325 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 Jimmy Carter on 1979-02-26, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Offshore Oil Spill Pollution." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: This action represents an orderly exercise of Article II administrative discretion, managing the internal machinery and personnel of the executive branch without abridging the ancient liberties of the people.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ Formal executive instruction issued by the President establishing official administrative policy on Offshore Oil Spill Pollution.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Executive Branch Departments 🏛️ General Body of the People
Total Words
325
1,996 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
9.3
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 12123, Jimmy Carter (Feb 26, 1979). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12123-offshore-oil-spill-pollution.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
By the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America by Section 303(b)(3), 305, and 312(a) of Title III of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 (92 Stat. 674, 677, and 684, 43 U.S.C. 1813(b) (3), 1815, and 1822), relating to the Offshore Oil Spill Pollution Fund, and by Section 301 of Title 3 of the United States Code, and in order to assign certain management responsibilities related to protecting the environment from offshore oil spill damage, it is hereby ordered as follows: 1-1. Assertion of Oil Pollution Claims. 1-101. The authority vested in the President by Section 303(b)(3) of Title III of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978, hereinafter referred to as the Act (92 Stat. 674, 43 U.S.C. 1813(b)(3)), is delegated to the Secretary of Commerce with respect to those natural resources which are subject to his management or control. 1-102. The authority vested in the President by Section 303 (b) (3) of the Act (92 Stat. 674, 43 U.S.C. 1813(b)(3)) is delegated to the Secretary of the Interior with respect to those natural resources which are subject to his management or control. 1-2. Determination of Financial Responsibility and the Assessment and Compromise of Penalties. 1-201. The authority vested in the President by Section 305(a)(1) of the Act (92 Stat. 677, 43 U.S.C. 1815(a) (1)), relating to vessels, is delegated to the Federal Maritime Commission. 1-202. The authority vested in the President by Section 305(b) of the Act (92 Stat. 678, 43 U.S.C. 1815(b)), relating to offshore facilities, is delegated to the Secretary of Transportation. 1-203. The authority vested in the President by Section 312(a)(2) of the Act (92 Stat. 684, 43 U.S.C. 1822(a) (2)), relating to the assessment and compromise of penalties concerning vessels, is delegated to the Federal Maritime Commission. JIMMY CARTER The White House, February 26, 1979. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 5:10 p.m., February 26, 1979]