Memorandum on the Arkansas Delta Circuit Rider Pilot Project
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2584 Dec. 10 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 mean, I had lost, and no one had ever been item was not received in time for publication in elected, defeated, and reelected again. the appropriate issue. I wouldn't be here today if this meeting turned out that way, in the Delta. I'm telling you, my whole life since then was riding on Memorandum on the Arkansas Delta the outcome of what these 85 people in this Circuit Rider Pilot Project barbecue joint were going to do. Wilbur is smiling. He knows all this. I don't December 10, 1999 know if I can tell this story. And you could feel the tone of the meeting go cold. And Memorandum for the Secretary of all of a sudden, this guy stands up in the Agriculture, the Attorney General, the back, named John Lee Wilson, who was the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of mayor of a little town called Haines, Arkan- Defense, the Secretary of Education, the sasÐ150 people. He's not alive anymore. I'd Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Health give the world and all if he were here today. and Human Services, the Secretary of John Lee was in jeans and a white T-shirt. Housing and Urban Development, the He wasn't a lawyer. He weighed about 300 Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of pounds, on his light days. [Laughter] He had Labor, the Secretary of Transportation, the arms bigger around than my neck. And he Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the said, the young lawyer might have had a Administrator of the Environmental point, but all he knew about this whole deal Protection Agency, the Administrator of the was that before I became Governor the first Small Business Administration time, sewage was running open in the streets Subject: Arkansas Delta Circuit Rider Pilot of Haines and the children were sick. And Project after I had served, they weren't sick anymore. And he said, ``If we don't stick with people The Delta region of the United States is who stick with us, what kind of people will rich in historical, archeological, geological, we be?'' He said, ``Governor Clinton may be natural, and cultural assets. The Delta region going down, but I'd rather go down with him also has tremendous human capital in the than run off from him.'' And they allÐand people who live there and hold strong hopes the room changed again. And the Delta for the future. The Delta's human, natural, stayed with me, and the rest is history. and cultural resources have the potential to I owe you, and I owe the memory of John contribute significantly to the region's future. Lee Wilson, whom I revered and loved and Despite great progress in a wide range of remember to this day. And I'll do my best economic and social areas, the Delta region, to be faithful. particularly the Delta communities of Arkan- Thank you. sas, still often lag behind the rest of the coun- try. Substandard housing, inadequate trans- portation systems, limited access to capital, NOTE: The President spoke at 3 p.m. in the Civic Auditorium at Mid-South Community College. In low educational levels, and lack of adequate his remarks, he referred to student Sandra Eason health care have hindered progress and O'Sullivan, who introduced the President, Glen caused hardship. While nationwide unem- Fenter, president, and Alex Coulter, board of ployment levels have fallen during my Ad- trustees chair, Mid-South Community College; ministration, the Arkansas Delta commu- Mayor William H. Johnson of West Memphis; nities still suffer from disproportionately high Crittenden County Judge Brian Williams; State unemployment. Furthermore, in the Delta Representatives Steve Jones, Marvin Steele, and counties of Arkansas, only 55 percent of the Bobby L. Glover; State Senator Kevin Smith; Lt. adult population has a high school diploma. Gov. Winthrop P. Rockefeller of Arkansas; Carl Whillock, former president, Arkansas State Uni- While Governor of Arkansas, I chaired the versity; Wilbur Peer, Associate Administrator, Lower Mississippi Delta Development Com- Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Department mission. In 1990, the Commission submitted of Agriculture; and John Gammon and N.S. (Ness) an action plan to address the economic devel- Sechrest, long-time friends of the President. This opment needs of the region. This action plan Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 / Dec. 10 2585 has served as a guidepost during my Adminis- Other Federal efforts seek to empower the tration for creating further opportunities for Delta communities by providing information investment in the region. and assistance directly in the communities During my Administration, we have con- where they are needed. The USDA and the tinued to provide resources to the entire Environmental Protection Agency provide Delta region and to the Delta communities significant on-the-ground technical assist- of Arkansas to promote job creation, improve ance to rural communities nationwide transportation and housing, and address envi- through circuit rider programs for both ronmental needs. In 1998, the Department drinking water and wastewater. The Small of Transportation organized a meeting with Business Administration (SBA) also regularly local Delta leaders at which ten Federal engages in active outreach activities in the agencies pledged to work together to coordi- Arkansas Delta Region, where SBA staff nate a Government-wide review and assess- meet with small business entrepreneurs in ment of the Delta; their review resulted in the field. These programs have been very the recent publication of The Mississippi successful in assisting communities and indi- Delta: Beyond 2000 (Interim Report). My viduals, but have been limited in the number Administration has designated two rural En- of agencies that participate and the topics terprise Zones (EZ) and seven Enterprise that are covered. Communities (EC) in the Delta, including To build on the success of these circuit two ECs in Arkansas that receive assistance rider programs and to address the great need from the Department of Agriculture expressed by Delta communities for tech- nical assistance, I am expanding my Adminis- (USDA)Ðone in Mississippi County and one tration's efforts in Arkansas' Delta commu- in East Central Arkansas. As part of the EZ/ nities by creating a pilot Arkansas Delta Cir- EC program, these communities have en- cuit Rider program to provide, for the first gaged in extensive community planning and time, a concentrated, coordinated effort by have gained a number of tax incentives to 14 Federal agencies to address needs in areas promote investment opportunities. The such as housing, economic development, USDA provides significant resources to the transportation, environment, tourism, cul- Delta in grants and loans through its rural tural resources, infrastructure technology, housing and business programs. The Depart- education, and health care. The Arkansas ment of Commerce has provided over $100 Delta Circuit Rider program will bring the million to the Delta from 1993 to mid-1999. expertise and resources of the Federal Gov- Approximately 1100 low-income Arkansas ernment directly to communities that need homes were weatherized last year through assistance by providing a more integrated Department of Energy funding. The Depart- Federal response across several agencies and ment of the Interior is assisting in the devel- reaching out to the communities to search opment of the Arkansas Delta Heritage Trail, for solutions. Accordingly, I direct each of a new quasi-State park composed of a 78- you to work with the USDA as lead agency mile rail corridor that traverses some of the in the development of a pilot program to be richest natural and cultural resources of the based on a circuit rider concept with the State. The Department of Transportation has goals of helping Delta communities (1) sys- provided approximately $140 million to com- tematically identify needs and priorities in plete highway reconstruction, surfacing, wid- economic and community development; (2) ening, and other projects in Delta counties. draft strategic plans to leverage both private However, Federal funding alone is not suffi- and public resources for such development; cient to revitalize the Delta region. As part and (3) implement their plans. This initiative of my July 1999 ``New Markets'' trip to should forge a coalition of Federal, State, Clarksdale, Mississippi, I announced nearly local, private business, nonprofit, and other $15 million in new private investments in the interested parties in meeting the unique Enterprise Corporation for the Delta, a non- needs of each community. The investment profit organization that uses Federal grants of resources by each agency will vary depend- to leverage private investment in business. ing on the specific needs of each community 2586 Dec. 10 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 but should include providing information; for a Delta commission to invest in the eco- conducting traveling seminars; deploying nomic future of the Mississippi Delta next staff; and staffing regional offices. year. I further direct you to enter into a Memo- Then I got a little barbecue. [Laughter] randum of Understanding (MOU) no later And sidled up here to Earle. Thank you, Sec- than March 1, 2000, with the specifics of the retary Riley, for making this journey with me pilot program, including an implementation and the journey of the last 22 years now. framework and schedule; mechanisms to as- Thank you, Secretary Slater, for coming out semble the Circuit Rider team after receiving of the Arkansas Delta and going all the way a community's request for assistance; and de- to become Secretary of Transportation. tails of the types of assistance to be provided. I'm not sure you heard the superintendent This MOU should establish the Arkansas when he said this, but Secretary Slater's chief Delta communities Circuit Rider pilot pro- of staff and a longtime supporter of mine is gram for a minimum period of 5 years in a wonderful attorney named Jerry Malone, order to assist communities in addressing who graduated from Earle High School.