Ecosystem Restoration Task Force to Meet

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Lisa P. Jackson announced the first meeting of the newly created Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force.

Recognizing the Gulf Coast as a national treasure, on October 5, 2010 President Obama issued an Executive Order creating the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, continuing the Administration's ongoing commitment to the region following the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill.

Jackson appointed by the President to Chair the Task Force stated that the group would rely on the input of local stakeholders, state and local governments, tribes, scientists, and the public to ensure accountability in the restoration of the Gulf Coast Region.

The Task Force includes Presidential appointments of at least one senior official from each of the following executive departments. The Department of Defense; the Department of Justice; the Department of the Interior; the Department of Agriculture; the Department of Commerce; the Department of Transportation; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Office of Management and Budget; the Council on Environmental Quality; the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and the Domestic Policy Council.

The group will hold its first public meeting Monday, November 8, 2010, from 11:30AM to 4:00PM CDT at the Pensacola Civic Center - 201 E. Gregory Street - Pensacola, Florida. The meeting is open to the public, and everyone is welcome to attend.

For more information or questions, please visit www.restorethegulf.gov or either email gulfcoasttaskforce@epa.gov or call (800) 241-1754.