Release No. 0212.00 
Remarks
          As Prepared for Delivery
                              by 
                                
             Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman
              White House Empowerment Conference 
                 June 28, 2000   Columbus, Ohio

     "Good afternoon, and thank you very much.  Thank you, Mayor Coleman, for
your hospitality this week.  It's an honor to be here to celebrate and build
on the empowerment efforts that have been so successful in so many places
around the country. 

     "We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to President Clinton and Vice
President Gore, who pioneered the empowerment concept.  But all of you deserve
equal credit for successfully putting it into practice, for making it work in
your communities.  

     "Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities are a true public policy
innovation   as kids would say, it is a "way different" approach.  It combines
the best of market-based solutions and government activism.  Instead of
leaving people exclusively at the mercy of the marketplace... and instead of
creating a top-down government program for every problem...the Vice President
has found a new way, where the government serves as a partner and catalyst to
encourage locally-led, private growth.

     "And thanks in part to the Vice President's empowerment strategy, we are
currently enjoying the longest economic expansion in American history.  We
have created more than 22 million jobs, and unemployment is down to 4 percent. 
We turned a record deficit into a record surplus, which is approaching 1
trillion over 10 years.  We have the fastest and highest real wage growth in
the decades and the highest homeownership rate ever.

     "I'm proud to say that a lot of that growth is happening in rural
America, thanks in large part to the EZ/EC Initiative.  EZ/EC has led to
community improvements in rural areas around the country -- nearly 2,000 new
homes constructed, 255 new businesses and $167.5 million invested in new water
systems.  And yet we know that there are still parts of America not
participating  fully in this economic expansion.

     "I want to share just one story with you that demonstrates how the EZ/EC
effort brings federal resources together with the spirit and innovation of
community leaders and ordinary citizens.

     "C.W. Hunt grew up in Panola County, Mississippi drinking sandy well
water that is only suitable for bathing and washing clothes.  In recent years,
he has hauled water from Clarksdale in 5 gallon jugs, driving more than 60
miles each way, so that he and his family could have safe drinking water.  But
this summer, for the first time, he and his family -- as well as 500 other
families -- will receive safe, chlorinated drinking water in their homes from
the Panola County Water Authority.  That was made possible in part by a $3.1
million project financed with a grant and loan from USDA. 

  "Today, we are announcing $4.7 million in new community facility loans
and grants to six different states as part of the EZ/EC initiative.  In
Apalachin, New York, a combined grant and loan worth $68,000 to a group called
Playyard Concepts is helping build a new daycare center.  Forty-four children
in the area will be cared for in a safe and clean environment, providing a
huge benefit to local employers and giving parents peace of mind that their
children are safe while they're at work.

  "To empower rural America, we also have to bring the Information Age to
rural America, something that USDA has been very involved in.  Over the years,
we have successfully introduced telephone service and electricity to remote
rural areas.  Now we have to ensure that they share in the next generation of
technologies   computers, the Internet, modems, satellites, fiber optics and
so on.  Or else they will be left behind as the rest of the country marches
into the 21st century.

  "If you think about it, information technology offers a tremendous
opportunity to bridge the economic gap separating rural America from the
cities and the suburbs.  It used to be you had to be in a major population
center, or near a port, to do business successfully.  But technology is the
great equalizer.  Today, with a modem, a fax and on-line capability, you can
do business with anyone, from anywhere.  We just have to make sure that rural
America has access to those modern information tools.

  "Even as we create rural growth, it's critical that we not alter the
fundamental and unique character of rural life.  If we bring too many mall
parks and shopping centers to the countryside, then we've taken the rural out
of rural America.  At the heart of rural America's appeal is the open spaces,
the relative solitude, the natural beauty and the recreational opportunities. 
We must preserve all that, by curbing sprawl and employing sound conservation
and land management strategies.  

  "It's important to note also that some of those uniquely rural qualities
can be exported to the cities, thus contributing to their empowerment and
quality of life.  At USDA, we have, for example, an Urban and Community
Forestry Program, which helps make cities more liveable by helping preserve
old trees and plant new ones, protect open spaces and build public parks and
community gardens.   

  "Speaking of cities, I now want to introduce a close friend and valued
colleague.  He is the city mouse to my country mouse.  But we have worked well
together to ensure that the cities and the countryside are not adversaries
competing for federal resources...but partners in pursuit of more prosperity
and opportunity for all Americans.
                                
  "He is a true crusader for social justice.  There are very few people in
public service who have his energy and passion to improve the lives of the
underserved and underprivileged.  I say these things not just because they're
true...but because my wife is on his staff, so I have a vested interest in
keeping him on my good side.  

  "Ladies and gentlemen...Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Andrew Cuomo."



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