Interagency Group on Insular Areas Annual Meeting

Date: February 24, 2012
For more information please contact:
Rebecca Zepeda (202) 208-6974
Rebecca_Zepeda@ios.doi.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. – – Next week, in Washington, DC, Governors and Congressional representatives from each of the US insular areas will join senior-level officials from US Federal agencies to discuss issues of importance to American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S Virgin Islands. The 2012 Senior Plenary Session of the Interagency Group on Insular Areas (IGIA) will be held at the White House Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Tuesday morning, February 28, 2012 from 8:30 – 11:45 a.m; the IGIA is co-chaired by the White House and the Secretary of the Interior.

The following day, the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) will convene a working-level meeting of the IGIA that will be held at the Campbell Auditorium in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Wednesday afternoon, February 29, from 1 – 5 p.m.

"Over the course of the last year we have worked extensively to best respond to the many issues raised at the 2011 meeting. We have made a lot of progress and my hope is that we will continue working together to develop unique approaches and strategies that address the challenges faced by our island communities," said Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas Tony Babauta, who co-chairs the IGIA on behalf of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. David Agnew, recently appointed by President Obama to serve as the Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs serves as the White House co-chair.

This year's Federal agency presentations include:

  1. Bureau of Economic Analysis/OIA - Joint Update on GDP Data Collection in the Territories
     
  2. Economic Development Administration – U.S. Department of Commerce
     
  3. SelectUSA Initiative – U.S. Department of Commerce
     
  4. Insular Area ABC's – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
     
  5. Status of Energy Initiatives in the Territories – U.S. Department of Energy
     
  6. HUD Programs in the Territories – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
     
  7. HHS Programs in the Insular Areas – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
     
  8. Initiative to Increase Travel and Tourism – U.S. Department of Commerce
     
  9. Regional Cooperation in the Pacific Insular Areas - National Invasive Species Council

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