EPA Administrator to Head Gulf Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Meeting (USA)

On Friday, May 6, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson will convene an official meeting of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force in Mobile, Alabama. The meeting will further the task force’s ongoing commitment to supporting the conservation and restoration of resilient and healthy ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico.

Administrator Jackson will also hold a press availability at 12:15 p.m.

During the meeting, Jackson, a New Orleans native who chairs the task force, and other members will review progress on the group’s restoration strategy and provide ongoing guidance to intergovernmental teams on the timeline of actions and the objectives of the president’s executive order. Participants will provide an update on the work of the task force, which incorporates public input and recommendations from stakeholder engagement opportunities provided during the meetings in Pensacola and New Orleans, as well as those gathered during a series of listening sessions held in each state.

The Mobile meeting will be the latest in a series of meetings that the task force is holding throughout the five gulf states. The group is committed to ensuring ongoing input from gulf residents and local leaders throughout the strategy development process and will continue to receive feedback during this meeting.

President Obama issued an executive order in October to create the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, continuing 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.

[mappress]

Source: epa, May 5, 2011;