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Administrator Johnson, Atlantic Station Redevelopment Project Grand Opening, Atlanta, GA

10/18/2005
    Thank you for inviting me to celebrate with you today.

    This is a great day for all of us who are taking on the enormous responsibility of turning eyesores back into engines of economic rebirth.

    I know the Atlantic Station grand opening has been many years in the making – and I want to congratulate Jacoby (ja-CO-be) Development, the city of Atlanta, the state of Georgia and those in the federal government who have been instrumental in making this project a reality.

    This is a premier example of what can be accomplished when the federal, state and local governments, as well as the private sector, form effective collaborative partnerships to tackle real-world challenges.

    Atlantic Station is a model to the rest of the nation of how partnerships can deliver enormous environmental and economic successes.

    This smart-growth project is improving air quality, promoting public transportation, and reusing urban property – all to benefit the well-being of your residents and the health of your environment here in Atlanta.

    Projects like Atlantic Station require partnerships and cooperation to succeed.

    As a 25-year career scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, I was called on by President Bush to increase the speed of our nation’s environmental gains.

    Instead of focusing on solid, yet incremental gains in environmental protection by mandating rules and regulations, EPA is now working in cooperation with our partners – we are working with communities like Atlanta – and developing the collaborative partnerships that will accelerate the pace of protecting and conserving our nation’s environment.

    We are committed to projects like this one that helps revitalize a community.

    We are committed to transforming problem properties back into community assets.

    And, the President and EPA are committed to putting both property and people back to work.

    And today – as we look around at this remarkable community – it is evident that we achieve these goals sooner and more efficiently, when we all work together.

    This collaboration will be a model as we more forward to address the 21st Century challenges we face here in Atlanta and throughout the nation – as we work to provide our citizens with cleaner air, purer water, better protected land, and a sustainable, competitive economy.

    By combining economic progress with environmental gains, Atlantic Station is helping us hand down better health and a brighter future to the next generation of Americans.
    Again, thank you for the privilege of being part of this special day.