Friday, July 31, 1998 (Washington, DC ) Investment in Transportation Means Jobs For Delta States, Secretary Slater Says

Marion, Arkansas -- During a tour of Union Pacific Railroad’s new intermodal railport here, U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater said that this new facility, combined with the new surface transportation bill signed last month by President Clinton, will generate thousands of jobs and pump billions of dollars into the economy of the Mississippi Delta states.

"I congratulate Union Pacific and local leaders for making possible this new facility," Secretary Slater said. "The impact of good transportation projects is why President Clinton and Vice President Gore have dramatically increased transportation investment nationwide, which will create thousands of jobs in this region as we build these projects -- and thousands more as businesses grow because of the competitive edge these improvements will give them."

Over a decade, the railport will pump $1.8 billion into the local economy, Secretary Slater said. He also noted that the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, the new surface transportation legislation, gives the Delta states an average of $3.6 billion annually over the next six years -- a 48 percent increase over the last six years.

Secretary Slater added that the new railport will help move agricultural goods and freight faster and more efficiently and promote industrial development nearby. Two-thirds of all new jobs in the Delta come from transportation improvements, he noted.

Earlier today, Secretary Slater hosted a conference called "The Delta: Beyond 2000" in Memphis, Tenn., bringing together government officials and business leaders from the seven states along the lower Mississippi to share progress reports and to decide how to continue moving ahead. One of the conference’s major recommendations was to continue investing in transportation, the Secretary said.

Secretary Slater was accompanied on the tour of the railport by Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene M. Molitoris and Union Pacific President and CEO Jerry Davis.