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ACTUALITIES – Secretary Vilsack Comments On White House Rural Council
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack comments on the establishment of the first White House Rural Council. He will serve as chairman of the White House Rural Council that will address economic and quality of life issues in rural communities.(June 9, 2011)
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ACTUALITIES – Secretary Vilsack Comments On Establishment Of White House Rural Council to Strengthen Rural Communities
INFO: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack comments on the establishment of the first White House Rural Council. The White House Rural Council aims to coordinate government programs to encourage public-private partnerships to address economic and quality of life issues in rural communities. Chaired by Vilsack, the Council will recommend investment in rural areas and will coordinate Federal efforts with rural stakeholders, including agricultural organizations, small businesses, and state, local, and tribal governments. (June 9, 2011)
1-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the Rural Council will promote cooperation between the Federal government and rural communities. (:30)
This is an unprecedented commitment on the part of the President to focus the nation’s attention on the important contributions that rural Americans make to the rest of the country, but also an opportunity for us to talk about how we can expand economic opportunity for folks who live in rural communities and how we can be a smarter government with the resources that we use as cabinet members know about what each others’ investments are in rural America we’ll be able to leverage those resources more effectively and create more public, private partnerships. So it’s a combination of a number of reasons why the President thought this was important.
2- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the economy and jobs are the top issues in rural communities. (:52)
Well the top priority needs to be and always must be economic growth and job growth. While we saw in Two Thousand and Ten rural America basically rebounding from the difficult recession more rapidly than the rest of the country, we’ve slowed down a bit in the last couple of months so we want to pick that pace back up again. So it’s economic growth and job growth. It’s also an opportunity for us to listen to the American public who live in rural communities about what their hopes and dreams and aspirations are and how we might be able to do an even better job of meeting those hopes and dreams and aspirations. I foresee a circumstance where moms and dads are sitting around a coffee table talking with their children about what economic opportunities might exist and not encouraging them as they have in the past to leave the farm or leave the small town but actually saying there’s business that could be started here, there’s a farm that could be expanded or purchased here. We want you to be part of that kind of future.
3- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says renewable fuel production should improve the economies of rural communities. (:43)
If we can figure out strategies for greater investment and higher innovation I think we’re going to see an expansion of renewable fuels for example. The President’s been very clear about his goal to reduce our reliance on foreign oil. Rural America is up to that challenge. We’ve already seen the impact of thirteen billion gallons of renewable fuel being produced in rural communities across the country today. As we increase that amount we’re going to see more jobs, we’re going to see less reliance on foreign oil; we’re going to be able to stabilize gas prices. As a result of the President’s investment in rural energy, in part, we have an ethanol industry that’s bringing gas prices down. It’s eighty-nine cents a gallon less expensive than it would be if there hadn’t been an ethanol industry. So it’s obvious that we need to continue to focus on that innovative opportunity.
4- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says investment in rural communities needs encouragement. (:50)
Well the challenges that we face in rural America are not unique. The need for capital investment, the need to convince folks who have resources that they can get a return on investment that is equal to or better than if they put their money someplace else in the country. The need for us to continue to spur innovation; continued investment in research and development; opportunities for us to figure out how we can create better networks. The administration’s investment in broadband is a good example how we can link up rural communities, rural businesses and rural families to the rest of the world and create more opportunities as a result. And how do we continue to celebrate that sense of place that’s so important in rural areas and recognize the natural resource advantage that rural communities have through the American Great Outdoors initiative that the President launched some time ago.
5- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the White House Rural Council will visit rural communities to hear opinions, concerns and suggestions on improving the rural economy. (1:06)
In terms of interaction with folks in rural areas is to go out and actually visit those places to sit down and have a conversation, a discussion, a roundtable discussion with folks. We’re going to use the White House Business Council, we’re going to use the opportunities that we have with public engagement, the Office of Public Engagement here at the White House, to really get out and sit down and listen to people, ask them how we can spur additional investment, what challenges do you have in terms of innovation, what networks can we help you establish so that you can leverage the resources of your small community with the resources of other small communities in your region. How can we strategize with you to take advantage of your natural resources? What can we do to improve health care, expand what we’ve already done in health care centers that have been established? What kind of physical infrastructure do you need? Can we do more than the twenty six thousand miles of roads that have already been improved with Secretary LaHood’s leadership? Are there ways in which we can do an even better job to provide rail transportation for manufactured goods and for things that are being produced? I mean, these are all conversations that can and will take place over the course of the next couple of months.
