M A R Y L A N D  A N D  D E L A W A R E

NEWS RELEASE                                                 Contact: Kathy Beisner 302-697-4333

USDA Certifies State Rural Development Council

            December 16, 2003 – Maryland State Director for USDA Rural Development, Marlene Elliott, today announced the certification of the Rural Maryland Council that will enable the council to receive federal funding assistance needed to carry out their efforts to assist communities in rural Maryland .

                        “Building effective coalitions to support economic opportunities and an improved quality of life in rural communities comes from the collaboration of financial and human resources,” said Elliott. “This council has been certified as having the capability to serve as a catalyst in this effort.” 

            First established under the previous Bush Administration, the state rural development councils were created to assist local communities in addressing issues of economic development and quality of life.   The 2002 Farm Bill required councils to receive formal certification in order to continue to receive federal funding.  The formal review and certification of state rural development councils required that they meet specific structural and process requirements in order to comply with the legislation.  An independent panel reviewed the applications to ensure that all legislative requirements were met.

La Plata Mayor William Eckman, who steps down as Chair of the Rural Maryland Council at the end of this month noted that, “This formal recognition by USDA affirms a great deal of hard work that our staff and volunteer leadership have been doing over the last several years.”  The Rural Maryland Council was first organized about a decade ago, and the nonpartisan agency was recently reauthorized by the Maryland General Assembly during the 2003 legislative session.  “This is great news indeed”, adds Cecil County Commissioner Phyllis Kilby, who was recently elected to serve as Council Chair during the Annual Maryland Rural Summit held in October.  “The Rural Maryland Council has been a real catalyst for economic development and community enhancement on the Eastern Shore and in Western Maryland and Southern Maryland .  This formal recognition will hopefully lead to even greater federal participation in our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life in rural Maryland .”

USDA Rural Development's mission is to deliver programs in a way that will support increasing economic opportunity and improve the quality of life of rural residents. As a venture capital entity, Rural Development provides equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.

OPTIONAL Information

Certified State Rural Development Councils

Alaska                                     Colorado                      Connecticut

Florida                         Georgia                        Hawaii

Iowa                             Illinois                          Indiana

Kansas                         Maine                          Maryland

Massachusetts            Michigan                     Minnesota

New Hampshire          New Mexico                Nevada

New York                    North Carolina            North Dakota

Ohio                             Oklahoma                    Oregon

Pennsylvania               Rhode Island               South Carolina

Texas                           Utah                             Vermont

Washington                 Wisconsin                    Wyoming

###

USDA Rural Development is an Equal Opportunity Lender, Provider, and Employer.  Complaints of discrimination should be sent to: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410