The Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, established on 18 May by an executive order signed by President George W. Bush, is tasked with better coordinating federal, state, and international efforts in restoration and environmental protection for the lakes, as well as better coordination of federally-funded scientific research associated with the Great Lakes system. There are currently 148 federal and 51 state programs that fund environmental restoration activities in the Great Lakes Basin, according to the U.S. General Accounting office. In an April 2003 report, however, the GAO found that there are several disparate regional strategies in use for this purpose, and that these strategies are not coordinated in a way that ensures effective use of limited resources.