Honoring the American History of the Great Lakes and Renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America

What it does

• •Directs the Secretary of the Interior to rename Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' within 30 days, working with the Board on Geographic Names under existing authority in 43 U.S.C. 364-364f.
• •Requires updates to the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the new name and remove all references to Lake Ontario.
• •Instructs the Board on Geographic Names to ensure all federal government references to the lake on maps, contracts, and documents reflect the new name.

Why it matters

• •The order states the renaming reflects U.S. investment in Great Lakes protection, noting the U.S. Coast Guard operates 9 of 11 ice-breaking vessels and the U.S. has invested nearly $4 billion in ecosystem protection over the past decade.
• •The order emphasizes the lake's historical and ongoing economic importance to the U.S., including maritime commerce, power generation, drinking water supply, and support for hundreds of thousands of American jobs.

Who is affected

• •The Secretary of the Interior, the Board on Geographic Names, and all federal departments and agencies that reference the lake in official documents, maps, and communications.
• •States and communities bordering or using the lake, including New York and the broader Great Lakes region dependent on shipping and water resources.

What happens next

The Secretary of the Interior has 30 days from August 27, 2026 to take all appropriate actions to formally rename the lake and coordinate updates across federal geographic naming systems.