FEDERAL INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE MEETS AT GREAT VALLEY CENTER SEPTEMBER 9TH

MODESTO, California, September 9, 2004 - A federal task force charged by President Bush to develop ways to to jumpstart the San Joaquin Valley's economy will meet in Modesto on Thursday September 9, 2004 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The event will be held at the Great Valley Center located at 201 Needham Street in downtown Modesto.

Created by executive order by President Clinton in 2000, the task force was reauthorized by President Bush in 2001. The overall goal of the task force is to improve the Valley's economy by improving the delivery of Federal program services in the region.

Thursday's meeting features representatives from dozens of federal agencies who will detail the progress made on the task force's primary initiatives: improving the Valley's air, promoting the use of clean energy, improving financial education, and taking a regional approach to job creation. The task force has its work cut out for it: According to the Economic Development Department, Stanislaus County's unemployment rate in July 2004 was 10.6% compared to the state average of 6.5%.

The Task Force includes Secretaries of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Interior, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, Labor, Transportation, Attorney General, the Directors of National Drug Enforcement and Control Policy and the Office of Management and Budget, the Administrators of the General Services Administration, Small Business Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Its work covers Stanislaus County as well as Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, and Tulare.
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Media Contact:
Richard Cummings
(209) 522-5103