ADVISORY/U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater to Visit Port of Oakland.

News/Assignment Editors

ADVISORY...for Friday (June 23)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

WHO: U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater

WHAT: Tour of Vision 2000, Photo Opportunity at Youth Employment
      Partnership Site, Press Availability and Reception

WHERE: Port of Oakland, 530 Water Street

TIME: Bus Tour & YEP Site Visit - 3:00 p.m. departure from Port of
      Oakland, 530 Water Street, Oakland, CA

      Reception/Remarks - 4:00 p.m. at Port of Oakland, 530 Water
      Street on the meadow in front of Port building

DATE: Friday, June 23, 2000

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater will pitch in with 25 welfare-to-work trainees to deconstruct buildings on the grounds of the former Fleet Industrial Supply Center, Oakland (FISCO) to make way for the Port of Oakland's Joint Intermodal Terminal (JIT).

This federal, state and local partnership to build the intermodal terminal uses welfare-to-work trainees from the Youth Employment Partnership (YEP) of Oakland to dismantle the FISCO buildings and prepare the area for the expansion of the JIT.

For Secretary Slater, this project combines many of his key interests - employment opportunities, smart transportation growth and environmental protection. "The construction of the Joint Intermodal Terminal will ultimately salvage old construction materials (600 acres of redwood and douglas fir) to make way for the new terminal. This project will create job opportunities, improve the environment and increase international trade. It represents the ultimate public private partnership in job creation and economic growth."

The Secretary's stop in Oakland is part of his Coast-to-Coast Intermodal Tour. During this tour he has been reviewing a variety of intermodal programs and projects that apply new transportation technology and concepts, as well as those that contribute to future innovation by building a knowledge-based workforce and contribute to a climate that fosters economic growth. The Port's JIT project is a prime example of this type of innovation.

In anticipation of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation's visit, Chuck Foster, Executive Director of the Port of Oakland stated, "Secretary Slater's visit comes at a critical time in our efforts to secure the federal dollars necessary to deepen our channels to -50 feet. This project is the underpinning of our maritime expansion program. We appreciate the Secretary's recognition of the Port's significance to the economy of the San Francisco Bay region."

Secretary Slater, appointed by President Clinton in 1997, oversees the nation's major public transportation resources.

Media is invited to join the Secretary and Port of Oakland on a tour of the YEP site and Vision 2000 program, followed by a press availability and reception.

The Port of Oakland, established in 1927, is an independent department of the City of Oakland employing some 560 people. The Port extends approximately 19 miles along the east side of the Oakland Estuary.

The Port of Oakland encompasses three significant business enterprises: the maritime Port of Oakland, Oakland International Airport, and a variety of commercial real estate developments, including Jack London Square.