Executive Order Renames Lake Ontario as Lake America

The President has signed Executive Order 14422 of August 27, 2026, renaming the body of water currently known as Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” The order, published in the Federal Register of Wednesday, September 2, 2026 (Vol. 91, No. 169, Presidential Documents), directs federal agencies to update all official references to the lake within 30 days.

The measure frames the renaming as a recognition of American stewardship of the Great Lakes, arguing that the United States is “the greatest protector” of the freshwater system and that the lake’s deepest waters lie within US territory, giving Washington claim to most of its volume.

Rationale and Background

The order builds on Executive Order 14172 of January 20, 2025 (“Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness”), which established the policy of naming great natural landmarks for shared American achievements. It argues that without US security and investment, the Great Lakes system would not be open for shipping, recreation, and responsible use to the same extent as today.

Key figures cited in the order include:

• The United States Coast Guard supplies 9 of the 11 icebreaking vessels on the Great Lakes, securing commercial shipping lanes free of charge.
• The United States has invested nearly $4 billion in protecting the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem over the last decade.
• Canada, the order states, has invested “far less” in similar initiatives over the same period.

Implementation and Scope

Within 30 days of the order, the Secretary of the Interior shall, in coordination with the Board on Geographic Names and consistent with 43 U.S.C. 364 through 364f, take all appropriate actions to rename the lake. The body of water is bounded on the south and east by the State of New York and on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario.

The Secretary, conjointly with the Board, must update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the renaming and remove all references to Lake Ontario from it. The Board is tasked with providing guidance so that all federal references—including executive department and agency maps, contracts, and other documents and communications—reflect the new name.

Historical and Economic Framing

The order recounts the lake’s role in American history, from colonial-era trade and the establishment of a historic fort and first US port of call at Oswego on the St. Lawrence Seaway, to shipbuilding and naval operations during the War of 1812 at Sackets Harbor and other New York posts. It notes that maritime commerce on the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway system supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs and billions of dollars in annual economic output, cargo value, and related revenue.

Water from the lake supplies nuclear, natural gas, and oil-fired power plants as well as municipal drinking water to nearby communities. The order’s general provisions state that it creates no enforceable right or benefit and that publication costs will be borne by the Department of the Interior.

The renaming is a symbolic and geopolitically charged act that touches on US-Canada relations and cartography, since the lake borders the Canadian province of Ontario. For readers, it signals a shift in how the administration frames shared cross-border natural resources, with potential implications for maps, federal contracts, and diplomatic discourse.

Source: Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 169, September 2, 2026, Presidential Documents, p. 56544 (official reference: Executive Order 14422, FR Doc. 2026-18020).