Federal Legislative Alert: Request Baucus, Burns to sign Carnahan-Collins Letter Increasing EDA Funds

Letter to individuals concerned with Economic Development in Montana from Paul Tuss

I am writing to strongly urge you to request that Senators Burns and Baucus
sign onto a letter that is presently circulating in the U.S. Senate,
initiated by Sens. Jean Carnahan (D-MO) and Susan Collins (R-ME), requesting
additional funding for the Economic Development Administration (EDA) in the
EDA’s public works and planning grant programs.

As those of us who attended the Denver Region’s EDA conference in Kansas
City recently learned, the Bush Administration is planning cuts to these two
programs for FY2003 in the following amounts:

* Public works will be cut by $18 million
* Planning grants will be cut by $1.7 million

The Carnahan-Collins letter is aimed at encouraging the leadership from both
parties of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and
the Judiciary to fund these two important programs within the EDA at levels
that will continue to allow the EDA to remain the critical player they have
been for over three decades in the federal government’s effort to invest
wisely in private sector development in the areas of our nation who need it
the most. The Carnahan-Collins effort is specifically aimed at increasing
spending in the public works program to the FY2001 level of $286.7 million
and to increase the planning program from $24 million to $32.5 million.

It is important to note that this request is to set the public works
spending amount at the FY2001 level and to add $8.5 million to the planning
grant program, a program that has been funded at the same level since
literally the early 1970’s.

Please write to both Sens. Baucus and Burns on this important issue at your
earliest convenience and request them to sign onto this letter to Sens.
Hollings and Gregg of the Appropriations Subcommittee that controls the
EDA’s budget. To expedite matters, please fax your letter to their DC
offices at the following fax numbers:

Sen. Burns’ fax number: 202-224-8594
Sen. Baucus’ fax number: 202-228-3687

Once you have faxed your letters, please mail them to the following
addresses:

The Honorable Max Baucus
United States Senate
511 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-2602

The Honorable Conrad Burns
United States Senate
187 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-2603

I have inserted below the letter I sent on behalf of Bear Paw Development to
both our Senators. Please feel free to use any part of this letter that may
also apply to your organization or area. Obviously, the more personalized,
the better.

I apologize for the length of this e-mail, but thought it important to
communicate to MEDA’s membership about this critical federal budget issue.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. More importantly, thank you for
responding as quickly as possible to this request.

Best regards,

Paul Tuss
MEDA President

BEAR PAW DEVELOPMENT’S LETTER TO SENS. BAUCUS AND BURNS:

July 1, 2002

The Honorable Conrad Burns
United States Senate
187 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-2603

Dear Senator Burns:

The Senate Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations Subcommittee is currently
developing its FY2003 spending plan, which encompasses funding for the
Economic Development Administration (EDA) and its public works and planning
grant program. Bear Paw Development Corporation (Bear Paw) has been an
Economic Development District since 1968 and presently serves the economic
and community development needs of Hill, Chouteau, Liberty, Blaine and
Phillips Counties as well as the Rocky Boy’s and Fort Belknap Indian
Reservations. We have served the residents of these areas well during the
past 34 years, largely because of the assistance we have received through
EDA planning grants and public works funds.

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jean Carnahan (D-MO) are currently
coordinating a letter from interested Senators to the Subcommittee’s
Chairman Ernest Hollings (D-SC) and Ranking Member Judd Gregg (R-NH). This
letter urges an increase in the EDA planning grant program for Economic
Development Districts to $32.5 million and restores the public works program
to the FY2001 level of $286.7 million.

I offer the following as justification for this modest increase:

* Economic development districts have repeatedly demonstrated
the indispensable value of these small but significant planning grants.
However, it is
increasingly difficult to deliver 21st century programs
with funding levels that were developed in the early 1970’s.

* Economic development districts are providing valuable
professional and technical assistance to rural counties and small towns,
particularly in distressed
areas where local governments often lack professional staff
capacity needed to coordinate complex economic development projects and
interact with
state and federal agencies.

* As a flexible program, EDA public works dollars are used for
a variety of projects including skills-training facilities, technology
infrastructure,
renovation and construction of business parks, as well as
rail spurs, access roads, port improvements and water infrastructure. These
are often
overlooked services, yet they are all essential for
sustaining local economic development efforts.

With EDA planning grant and public works program funding, Bear Paw has been
able to assist with the development and coordination of a multitude of
important projects in northern Montana. A few examples are as follows:

* Secure $1 million for the construction of an Applied
Technology Center on the campus of MSU-Northern in Havre to house a small
business incubator
and work with private sector partners on research and
development projects.

* Obtain $856,000 to build a new acute care hospital in Malta,
replacing a 48-year old facility that is nearing the end of its useful life
and that has
significant structural deficiencies.

* Assist with the creation of the Chippewa Cree Community
Development Corporation on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation for purposes
of
developing needed local capacity on the Reservation to
create a more sustainable economy.

* Develop a Growth Strategy for the City of Fort Benton that
works with local citizens to chart the community’s future growth areas and
economic
development opportunities.

I urge your consideration and support for the Carnahan-Collins initiative to
increase EDA public works and planning grant program funds. A copy of the
Carnahan-Collins sign-on letter to the Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations
Subcommittee is enclosed for your convenience.

For more information or to add your signature to the letter, please contact
Jon Kakasenko in Senator Collins’ office at 202-224-5901 or Stephen Sugg in
Senator Carnahan’s office at 202-224-6154.

I greatly appreciate your consideration of this request.

Best regards,

Paul Tuss
Executive Director