News Releases from Headquarters›Office of the Administrator (AO)

EPA Administrator Wheeler Praises President Trump’s Trillion Trees Initiative EO

Executive Order Promotes Conservation and Environmental Benefits through Interagency Council

WASHINGTON (October 13, 2020) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler praised President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order (EO) establishing a U.S. One Trillion Trees Interagency Council to further the federal government’s contributions to the World Economic Forum’s One Trillion Trees Initiative.

“Planting one trillion trees will have a major benefit to our environment, as well as recreational and educational opportunities for many thousands of children and adults alike,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “EPA has a number of actions underway to help plant, protect and conserve trees, which promote healthy watersheds and improve air quality."

Under this EO, the EPA Administrator will join the Council as a member and will include all Council-related activities within their respective strategic planning processes and provide Council leadership regular progress reports on their agencies’ activities.

Currently, our Nation’s forests uptake over 14% of the United States’ carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually and approximately 180 million people in more than 68,000 communities rely on our Nation’s forested watersheds to capture and filter their drinking water. Through Council coordination, EPA hopes to explore solutions that will help promote tree growing and conservation efforts.