Gulf States Ready 4 Takeoff

Public, private, nonprofit and academic leaders from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi today will launch a new initiative called the “Gulf Coast Economy: Ready 4 Takeoff Coalition.”

The coalition is expected to announce its support for efforts that promote the Gulf’s economic and cultural assets, including development initiatives that will revitalize the coastal states, according to its Website at www.ready4takeoff.org.

The coalition said Washington should make priority investments in the region, including leveraging federal purchasing power to ensure a “robust market” for the Gulf seafood industry, securing a $40 billion contract with the U.S. Air Force to build 179 tanker aircraft in Mobile that would require a 1,500-employee factory, and accelerating revenue sharing from offshore oil and gas development scheduled to occur in several years.

Organizers said they formed the coalition because of the Gulf’s unprecedented economic challenges following hurricanes Katrina, Ivan, and Rita and “the epic man-made oil spill” this year.

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