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TODAY: EPA CHIEF LEADS FINAL PUBLIC MEETING OF THE GULF COAST ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION TASK FORCE, IN BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI

Release Date: 08/30/2011
Contact Information: [email protected]

WASHINGTON, D. C. — The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, created by President Obama by executive order to develop a comprehensive restoration strategy for the Gulf of Mexico, will hold its final meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi today. It will be held at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center from 10:00 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. and is open to the public. The meeting will be followed by public listening sessions from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The task Force has held seventeen such sessions to date.

President Obama selected EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, a native of New Orleans, to chair the task force which is comprised of 12 federal agencies and the five Gulf Coast states. The Biloxi meeting, the final in a series of six taking place across the Gulf, will further the task force’s ongoing work to support the conservation and restoration of resilient and healthy ecosystems in the Gulf. During the final meeting, the task force will receive input from Mississippi experts and leaders on coastal restoration and community partnerships.On October 5, 2010, President Obama issued Executive Order 13554 to create the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, furthering the administration's ongoing commitment to the Gulf region. The task force works to integrate federal restoration efforts with those of local stakeholders and state and tribal governments, and to facilitate accountability and support throughout the restoration process. View the President’s executive order: www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/05/executive-order-gulf-coast-ecosystem-restoration-task-force.

WHO: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson

Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force

Public Listening Sessions 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. CT

2350 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, MS 39531-4914