Volume 1; Issue 3

EDA Reauthorization 

EDA is pleased to announce that the Department of 

Commerce sent the Congress a legislative proposal to 

reauthorize EDA for five years. EDA’s current authorization 

expires September 30, 2008. The proposed reauthorization

legislation is good news for you, the economic 

development community, in that it includes some new 

provisions that offer investment recipients greater 

flexibility with, and more local control of, revolving loan 

funds and construction grants. These provisions 

demonstrate how EDA is listening to, and acting upon, the 

economic development community’s calls for improved 

EDA programs to meet our customers’ changing needs in 

the 21st century economy. 

Please monitor www.eda.gov for more information as this 

legislation progresses through Congress. 

2008 National Summit on American 

Competitiveness 

The U.S. Department of Commerce will convene the 2008 

National Summit on American Competitiveness in Chicago 

on May 22, 2008. 

Hosted by Carlos M. Gutierrez, U.S. Secretary of 

Commerce, with honorary co-chairs Richard M. Daley, 

Mayor of Chicago and Ronald J. Gidwitz, former CEO of 

Helene Curtis, the Summit will focus on a variety of topics 

surrounding America’s competitive position. Other topics 

addressed during the Summit include entrepreneurship, 

free trade agreements, as well as strategies and best 

practices for successful economic transformation. 

This event will gather the nation's premier leaders in 

business, government and academia. Some confirmed 

participants include: 

• Henry Paulson, Jr., U.S. Secretary of the Treasury 

• Maria Bartiromo of CNBC 

• Steve Chen, Co-Founder and CTO, YouTube 

• Craig Barrett, Chairman of the Board, Intel 

• W. James (Jim) McNerney, Jr., Chairman of the Board, 

President and CEO, 

 The Boeing Company 

The closing town hall session provides an opportunity for 

Click SUBSCRIBE to Learn 

about other Exciting EDA 

News 

APA ́s Economic Development 

Toolbox Part Two: Quality of 

Life

"Quality of life" is a term used to 

describe various, sometimes 

intangible factors that make a 

community attractive to live in. A 

quality-of-life strategy assumes 

government or some type of 

public/private partnership is able to 

have a significant influence on these 

factors and improve them over time. 

In theory, new businesses will be 

attracted to communities with the 

most appropriate combination of 

factors, and existing businesses will 

expand for the same reason. People 

also use quality of life indicators to 

measure neighborhood and 

community desirability. 

For more information and a list of 

Quality of Life attraction factors, 

visit: www.planning.org/eda/#2 

EDA’s Regional Conference: 

Beyond Innovation: Partnerships and 

Comprehensive Strategies for 

Transforming our Regional Economies

EDA's Chicago and Philadelphia 

regional offices will host a regional 

conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel 

in Cleveland, Ohio, beginning May 

12-14, 2008.

The conference will offer economic 

developers from 19 states, the 

District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 

the U.S. Virgin Islands opportunities 

to expand their regional development 

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attendees to direct questions to several program 

participants as well as to Secretary Gutierrez. 

Registration and information can be found at:

www.americancompetitiveness.com

Seeing Green (Energy) in Rural Florida 

EDA Investment Spurs Environmental and Economic 

Benefits

When Green Circle Bio Energy Inc. decided to open a new 

wood pellet plant, it chose Cottondale, Florida, in Jackson 

County. This rural county in Florida’s panhandle is now 

emerging as an alternate energy industry cluster, following

an economic transition due to a declining timber industry 

and a changing agricultural base. 

Strong regional leadership in the area was also 

instrumental in creating this alternate energy industry 

cluster. Investing nearly $1.2 million, the U.S. Economic 

Development Administration’s assistance to this region has

included water, sewer, and road infrastructure 

improvements to attract new businesses. Now, Green 

Circle Bio Energy Inc. has invested $93 million to construct

the new alternative energy production facility. This wood 

pellet facility will produce an annual capacity of 560,000 

tons of wood pellets to be supplied to central heating 

companies and the power generating industry for co-firing 

in coal based power plants. The wood pellets, made from 

sawdust and pulpwood, help reduce fossil fuel use and 

subsequent CO2 emissions, providing a cleaner alternative 

energy source. Over 50 new direct jobs – and an additional

100 jobs generated by suppliers – are expected as a result 

of this wood pellet facility. 

This will be the largest wood pellet production company in 

North America, and 100 percent of its production is under 

contract for export to Europe. The facility considered 

locating in Russia and South America, but after much 

analysis, chose to locate in Florida's panhandle, close to 

the raw materials needed to produce its pellets. A first-ofits-magnitude initiative, it will eventually export these 

pellets across the globe. Not only will the facility use 

energy saving methods in its construction, but will also be 

powered with electricity from the local Waste Management 

landfill, and tree bark from the pulpwood will fuel the 

furnaces. 

Rising gas and oil prices and growing concerns of climate 

change are creating a growing demand for energy 

alternatives. Forward-thinking businesses, such as Green 

Circle Bio Energy are capitalizing on this demand and are 

finding that environmental considerations are not a 

hindrance to the bottom line, but rather, a source of 

innovation and an opportunity for growth. In the case of 

Green Circle Bio Energy, this growth will aid in 

transitioning northern Florida to more efficient alternative 

fuel choices, while also creating more higher-skill, higherknowledge and expertise, exchange 

ideas and information with their 

peers, and meet with regional EDA 

staff. 

For more information or to register 

for the conference visit: 

www.edaconference.com 

Coming Soon! 

April 27 - May 1, 2008 

APA ́s 100th National Planning 

Conference, Las Vegas [Website] 

May 5-7, 2008 

National Brownfields Conference, 

Detroit, (APA co-sponsor) [Website]

May 5-6, 2008 

IEDC: Real Estate Development and 

Reuse, Billings, MT [Website] 

May 12-14, 2008 

Beyond Innovation: Transforming 

Our Regional Economies Through 

Partnerships, Cleveland [Website] 

May 22, 2008 

2008 National Summit on American 

Competitiveness [Website] 

September 9-10, 2008 

EDA's Denver and Seattle regional 

offices will host the Peak Performance 

in Economic Development Conference 

at the Denver Convention Center in 

Denver, Colorado. 

ETA’s Workforce Innovations 

2008 

The U.S. Department of Labor, 

Employment and Training 

Administration’s flagship conference, 

Workforce Innovations 2008: 

Success Decoded, will be held July 

l5 – l7, in New Orleans. Meet and 

network with thousands of leaders 

from workforce development, 

economic development, business, 

education, community-based 

organizations, and philanthropy. 

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wage jobs as the company builds more and continues to 

engage in the worldwide marketplace. 

For more information on Green Circle Bio Energy Inc., 

visit: www.greencirclebio.com/index.php 

EDA Federal Funding Opportunities 

Funding Opportunities focused on regional curriculum 

implementation and economic development research 

EDA has published notification of the agency’s regional 

curriculum implementation and economic development 

research funding opportunities. The regional curriculum 

implementation opportunity seeks the nationwide 

dissemination of a learning curriculum based on 

regionalism through workshops and other communication 

methods. EDA’s research opportunities seek academic 

research to advance understanding of the following three 

economic development topics: 1) Regional Innovation 

Systems; 2) Urban Economic Development Policy; 3) 

Global Economic Development Strategy. 

These opportunities are posted on EDA’s Web site at 

www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/Lawsreg.xml or search 

for EDA’s current funding opportunities on the Grants.gov 

Web site at www.grants.gov. 

Save America's Treasures grant applications now 

available 

Save America's Treasures matching grants are awarded for

preservation and/or conservation work on nationally 

significant intellectual and cultural artifacts and historic 

structures and sites. Eligible applicants include Federal 

(including NPS), state, local and tribal government entities 

and nonprofit organizations. Applications are due May 

20, 2008. Application guidelines can be found at: 

www.nps.gov/history/hps/treasures/application.htm or 

www.grants.gov. 

Preserve America grant program applications now 

available 

The Preserve America matching-grant program provides 

funding to support preservation efforts through heritage 

tourism, education and historic preservation planning. 

Eligible applicants include Designated Preserve America 

Communities and Neighborhoods, State Historic 

Preservation Offices, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, 

and Certified Local Governments in the process of applying

for Preserve America Community Designation. 

Applications are due June 30, 2008. Guidelines and 

applications are available at: 

Visit WorkforceInnovations.org for 

further information and to register. 

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www.nps.gov/history/hps/hpg/PreserveAmerica/index.htm

 

 

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