The competition is open to nonprofit organizations, local, state and regional government entities, universities and colleges. A highly qualified and independent panel of economic development practitioners, academics and government representatives will make the award selections.

The nomination criteria and application information are provided in the 2006 brochure, which is available at www.eda.gov/NewsEvents/ExcellenceAwards.xml.

If you have any questions, please contact EDA’s Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Division at 202-482-2900.

IEDC’s Volunteer Program Helping with Gulf Coast Economic Recovery

The International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Economic Recovery Volunteer Program, funded by EDA, deploys IEDC members to economic development organizations and Business Assistance Centers located in areas that suffered heavy hurricane damage. The objective is to increase the post-disaster survival rate of small- and medium-size businesses and assist with long-term economic recovery.

The program was launched in early December, and to date has sent 31 volunteers to seven locations in southern Louisiana and Mississippi. IEDC volunteers have served over 120 businesses with one-on-one counsel. Along with assistance to businesses, volunteers provide technical assistance and strategic planning for the economic development organizations and chambers of commerce where they are stationed. For example, volunteer teams at the Hancock County Business Assistance Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, created a report of recommended economic recovery goals and strategies. The Bay St. Louis Chamber of Commerce has since implemented many of these strategies, and volunteers continue to update and build upon the report.

Volunteers at Greater New Orleans Inc., a regional economic development organization, offer crucial technical and organizational assistance. Volunteers have developed grant proposals totaling more than $600 million for reinvestment projects in the New Orleans region. They are also helping to create regional plans that address business retention and expansion, parish long-term recovery and key industry targeting.

Volunteers continue to serve as off-site resources long after their one-to-two week initial service periods. Through blogs, on-line portals and e-mail exchanges set up by IEDC, volunteers provide counsel to businesses, consult with regional economic development organizations and communicate with future volunteers. This ongoing, off-site communication fosters project continuity and lasting impacts.

IEDC continues to schedule volunteers and expand the Economic Recovery Volunteer Program where needs exist. Approximately 20 volunteers are scheduled to go to the region during the months of March and April.

For more information on the Economic Recovery Volunteer Program, please contact Rebecca Moudry at (202) 942-9450 or Rmoudry@iedconline.org, or visit IEDC’s website at www.iedconline.org/?p=Economic_Recovery_Initiatives.

White House Gulf Coast Update: Hurricane Relief, Recovery, and Rebuilding Continues

The devastation of Hurricane Katrina has required an unprecedented response by federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector. Relief, recovery, and reconstruction efforts are ongoing – and will continue until this vital region is up and running again.

• Clearing Debris. Roughly 80 percent of non-demolition debris, totaling more than 80 million cubic yards, has been removed. To ensure debris removal continues and the process of rebuilding can proceed, the federal government is covering 100 percent of the cost of this cleanup through June 30, whether the task is performed by contractors hired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or by local officials, and 90 percent of the cost thereafter.

• Strengthening Hurricane Defenses. In order for the Crescent City to rebuild, and for citizens and businesses to feel confident in returning, New Orleans needs a modern-day, reliable flood and storm protection system. By June 1, the beginning of the next hurricane season, all 169 miles of damaged levees and floodwalls will have been restored to their design height. This will include correction of any identified design and construction flaws and will account for compaction and subsidence.

• Restoring Gulf Coast School Libraries. Mrs. Bush is leading the effort to refurbish Gulf Coast school libraries. Through the Laura Bush Foundation’s Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative, grants are available for books for school libraries in the Gulf Coast region affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, or Wilma. For more information, please visit www.LauraBushFoundation.org.

• The Region's Reconstruction and Economic Recovery Are Top Priorities for the Administration. More than 16,000 federal personnel have been deployed to help state and local officials along the Gulf Coast recover. Some $88 billion in federal aid has been made available for relief, recovery, and rebuilding, with another $20 billion requested to support ongoing recovery efforts of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Small Business Administration (SBA), and other Federal government agencies.