U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans Announces
$2 Million Investment to Boost Industrial Development and Job Growth in Reedsport, Oregon

U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans today announced a $2 million Economic Development Administration (EDA) investment to the city of Reedsport, Ore. The investment will help build water system improvements needed to boost industrial development in the Reedsville area.

"The Department of Commerce is pleased to partner with the people of Oregon. This investment is a great example of President Bush and Senator Gordon Smith's commitment to empowering local communities with the necessary tools to grow their economy, attract investments and create jobs in Oregon," said Evans.

"This grant will provide a boost to Reedsport's innovative efforts to attract new employers to Oregon's south coast. I was delighted to support it, and know that President Bush shares my dedication to strengthening Oregon's and America's rural economy," said U.S. Senator Gordon Smith.

EDA serves as a venture capital resource to meet the economic development needs of distressed communities throughout the United States. EDA partners with states, units of local government and community nonprofit organizations in economically distressed areas, regions and communities in order to alleviate conditions of poverty and substantial and persistent unemployment and underemployment.

Additional information on how EDA investments are helping distressed communities create a positive and sustainable economic future can be accessed at: http://www.doc.gov/eda.