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Fact Sheet: Transparency and Accountability in Gulf Coast Rebuilding

Release Date: December 18, 2007

For Immediate Release
Contact: Press Office
(202) 572-8890

"To better distinguish between the responsibilities at all levels, we have instituted a Transparency Initiative that will identify the location of federal infrastructure funds and make this information available in a clear and understandable way to the general public. This is a great tool that will further accelerate rebuilding. The first phase of this initiative will focus on mapping public schools in New Orleans so parents, teachers and local leaders will know the status of individual schools in their community." - Donald E. Powell, Federal Coordinator for the Office of Gulf Coast Rebuilding

Federal Investment

  • Federal investment in areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina and Rita is unprecedented, with over $117 billion provided for relief, recovery and rebuilding. These investments are critical – and the goal of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding is to ensure the taxpayer’s investment is spent wisely and has the greatest impact.
  • Since the beginning of his tenure and in partnership with the people of the Gulf Coast to build a better, stronger region, the Federal Coordinator for the Office of Gulf Coast Rebuilding, Donald E. Powell, led the effort to create an easy to use and accessible tool for the general public to learn about the status and location of infrastructure projects at the neighborhood level.

Transparency In Government

  • In August 2007, FEMA finalized a web-based mapping tool to summarize the geographic location of all Public Assistance grants for permanent infrastructure throughout the entire Gulf Coast.
  • By late November 2007, the operational and financial status of individual facilities could be identified for all public schools in New Orleans and the Transparency Initiative became a reality.
  • In this initial phase of the Transparency Initiative, information will be available for the 112 Recovery School Districts and 17 Orleans Public School Board schools.

User-Friendly, Web-Based Tool

  • This user-friendly web-based tool has been designed for the general public – including taxpayers, residents, neighborhood leaders, local officials, state and federal officials, and those invested in the community. It is intended to make all funding information available in a clear and understandable way.
  • The Office of the Federal Coordinator sought feedback and assistance from a number of Federal agencies in the development of the site including the Government Accountability Office (GAO), The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), as well as education establishments such as The Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and local stakeholders including The Cowan Institute for Public Education Initiatives at Tulane University and New Schools for New Orleans. Information and features on the site will be updated to reflect feedback from interested parties as the site develops further.
  • Based on this initial data sharing framework established for public schools in New Orleans, FEMA and the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding plan to replicate the site-based identification of public assistance funding into other recovery sectors including health care and criminal justice.

State and Local Partnerships

  • This initiative is built upon an on-going partnership between local, state and federal entities. The Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding serves to help facilitate this partnership.
  • The success of the Transparency Initiative is dependent upon community, local and state input. It includes identifying the location and amount of FEMA infrastructure investments at the neighborhood level, identifying the operational status and future plans of key facilities, and mapping the financial status and location of specific federal funds.
  • Crucial partners in this initial phase have included FEMA, the State of Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Education and the Recovery School District.

For more information about the Transparency Initiative and the Office of Gulf Coast Rebuilding, please visit our web site at: www.dhs.gov/gulfcoastrebuild.

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This page was last reviewed/modified on December 18, 2007.