Dust Off the Mills, Fire Up the Boilers, Mobilize the Workforce…the Jobs are Coming Home!!

Since the final hours of our region’s (Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania) industrial heyday some 25+ years ago, watched a steady stream of jobs slip overseas. More often than not, it has seemed as if we are helpless against the economics of globalization. Cheap labor in developing nations like China has been fed by the removal of international trade tariffs producing an explosion of industrial growth for those nations. Previously, the tariffs imposed on foreign importers (or, domestic companies manufacturing in foreign lands shipping to the U.S.) have held the disparity of labor costs as inconsequential.

But, there’s a far more power which has fed the expansion of our trade deficit…’cheap oil’. Until the recent run up of oil prices (more than 500% since 2002), we’ve experienced a great expansion of ‘wealth’ on the backs of cheap oil. While the perceived wealth of our nation has expanded along with this trend, it has been accompanied by the removal of the foundation our economy is built upon. We’ve steadily transformed our nation into a service based, Wall St. driven nation whereby we utilized the sweat, labor and skill of other nations to build the ‘American Way’.

Logic tells us the current flow of our industrial economies is unsustainable. The simple fact that we’re often shipping raw materials around the world, manufacturing them, then shipping them back around the world to be consumed (and, often shipped back at their end life) is illogical to the untainted eye (likely one of those questions where 99% of kindergarteners would answer correctly against the 1% of adults). Many factors have held their ground for the past few decades which have made this model ‘work’ financially. Oil has held at around $20/barrel, tariffs have steadily been removed, newly tapped labor came cheaply and environmental regulations were imposed on developed countries (but not in developing countries).

So why should we dust off our mills which have slowed to a snail’s pace and often laid dormant for many years? Logic is taking hold and the many factors which have ‘globalized’ our economy are about to reverse course.

Oil - We’ve caught a few glimpses of this in the past year where triple-digit oil prices brought our economy to a halt (despite the focus on sub-prime lending, oil is the driver in our recession but that’s another discussion). We’ve felt some brief reprieve on oil prices however they remain well above the rates which fueled the trade deficit. And, we are naïve to believe oil will not return to last year’s levels and higher in the coming years. Suddenly, shipping materials around the world for low value:weight products (i.e. steel) doesn’t make financial sense…logic takes hold.
Labor - Meanwhile, the labor disparity is closing quickly. Wage gaps between the developed and developing world remain however they’re nowhere near the rates which took so many jobs overseas.
Global Environmental Concerns - Additionally, the combination of increased environmental awareness on a global scale (global warming via greenhouse gases has no borders) is forcing the developed world to consider means of putting a price on CO2 emissions. The U.S. is likely to join the EU in hosting a ‘cap and trade’ program which will reward those who determine means of producing in more efficient (carbon output wise) manners, and punish those who don’t. Yes, this by itself would only push the ball further into the developing world (where they don’t have environmental costs imposed on their products) however the U.S. (as the EU is currently considering) should also consider a carbon tariff on imported goods. Since the U.S. is more than 50% more efficient than countries like China, this would flip the jobs back to the U.S. in an immediate fashion. Many would oppose the addition of trade tariffs as unfair practices however the omission of a carbon tariff in theory is the unfair practice imposed on our own labor force (further, without it would only shift CO2 emissions to other lands which would end up in the same sky although via less efficient processes thus greater output).

Pull these factors together and we’ll end up with far more of barrier than the tariffs of a decade ago which blocked imports. Oil prices will rise again, labor gaps will continue to close and global environmental concerns will peak in the coming years. Are we ready to mobilize our industry? Is our region ready to take the lead again, and inspire our nation’s next great movement?

Our belief is that our tri-state region (Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania) needs to grease up our old factories and (re)train our blue-collar workforce for the next phase of development. A new economy where globalization comes via technology but industry is held at home. Developing a high-speed rail system is a necessary step towards our nation’s infrastructure. Using our region’s assets to produce its supplies and host its early lines is a necessary step towards securing our nation’s economy for generations to come.

"Who knows? We can dream."

POW V continues to talk, people continue to listen, now it seems some are beginning to take notice, and take action...

Stimulus Money To Improve Rails In Jefferson County
Posted: 5:37 pm EDT April 14, 2009Updated: 7:04 pm EDT April 14, 2009

Ohio Transportation Stimulus funds will be used to improve the Gould Tunnel outside Mingo Junction in Jefferson County.

Mike Paprocki with The Brooke Hancock Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission said, "It's an important link from the rail yard. It connects Norfolk Southern Railroad and Ohio Central Railroad. That services a lot of coal mines and trains that go to the Apex mine."
The $5 million in stimulus will be used to improve the tunnel because it leaks and has drainage problems.

"This ought to put about 40 people to work," said Paprocki. "It's a big help to the railroads in our area. They're making resurgence." The exact solution isn't clear yet because Paprocki said there are several different options state crews could take. "They could lower the bed and raise the clearance because it has clearance issues. The tunnel will not take double-stacked cars. Or, they could line it and keep it as is," said Paprocki.

With improvements on the way, leaders have high hopes for the future including the possibility that one day the tracks could carry passenger trains. "This could be used as a critical link between Pittsburgh and Columbus for high-speed rail through our area," said Paprocki. "Who knows? We can dream."

There is no timeline in place as to when work on the Gould Tunnel could start.
Officials with the Ohio Railroad development Commission said improvements will be on the existing structure. Jefferson County isn't the only area that will get rail improvements.
More than $1 million in stimulus funds is expected for rail work in Harrison County at Miller Station.

-NEWS9
Copyright 2009 by wtov9.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Community Action & High Speed Rail

The recent presidential election brought the concept of "Community Action Groups" to the forefront of driving democracy and providing solutions for the next generation. Although some ignorantly ridiculed the leadership and stature of a community organizer, the American people have awoken to the call to get involved and to take responsibility for the direction of our nation and the communities which comprise it. This is not a new concept however one which has been buried amongst the belief that government and corporations are the primary avenue to provide the infrastructure we depend on. But, there's a noticeable change in the air. One which has the youth ready to dedicate their time and energy to make things happen. And, while the shifting tides resides within the younger generation, it is carrying to all generations as contagious inspiration.

So, what does this mean for high speed rail? After all, trains are the product of large amounts of capital and resources requiring engineering expertise and government approval. Please welcome POWV High Speed Rail. In the mid-80's, POWV was born via the desire of a group of railroaders who fought for what they felt was right for their community and the nation their line was supporting. Other local parties joined the cause and together they found an avenue to protect the Panhandle line from removal. Although the plot details play out like a riveting novel, the basic story of this line being saved revolves around the group pledging to bring high speed rail to the line. Although there were hopes of actually bringing high speed rail to the tri-state (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia) region, the primary intent of the pledge was capitalizing on the right of way's protection if such a pledge was made. Although they weren't able to save the freight running over these tracks, they had displayed an act of courage and won the battle. The following 20 years weren't so favorable for the region as they saw countless jobs shipped overseas and the people who served as the backbone of our nation's infrastructure soon felt the pain, and still do to this day.

Fast forward to today, POWV High Speed Rail is reemerging and embracing its position as a well-purposed community action group. An organization moving with direction to provide solutions for the people, and our collective nation. POWV is moving with a passionate pace to bring place the POWV Corridor into the current discussions for high speed rail. Anyone viewing the current FRA HSR Corridor Map can see the obvious disconnect in the proposed network. POWV's current mandate is to ensure those in the decision making positions see it, understand it, and connect it. Amidst the HSR discussions taking place across the country, POWV sees the monumental challenges in front of it. The other proposals come via State Transit Authorities, Multi-national corporations, and other large scale entities which are expected to be here and have the resources to move decisions. While this is reality, POWV has pledged to do what they feel is right for the broader community and are gaining steam with each person they bring on board. It will be, and has been, a trial by fire approach which is building momentum (along with setbacks) forward. It involves the courage of the people behind it who know what hard work is all about.

It's been nearly 25 years in the making however the time has come for POWV vision to come to fruition. Their intentions revolve around building the next generation economy for a region sitting at the heart of our nation. Their embracing their role as a community action group and energized by the resurgence of community involvement witnessed in recent times. It's time to make Ohio high speed rail, West Virginia high speed rail, and Pennsylvania high speed rail all a reality on a connected network via the POWV Corridor. It's time to put the people back in democracy, and drive a nation forward.

High Speed Rail Gets $8bn: Obama's Signature Issue in Stimulus Bill

In the final hours of the stimulus bill's negotiations, high-speed rail more than tripled its prior renditions to end up at $8 billion. Critics of the bill tried to cast blame of Sen. majority leader Reid 'earmarking' $8bn in high speed rail funds for a line from LA to Vegas however the real driver seems to have come from the White House. While a few of Obama's 'favorites' were battered through the negotiations (school building, electricity grid upgrade), the high-speed rail push seems to have faced limited opposition, and little knowledge it was coming from Obama. Some of the lessened resistance to the HSR funding seems to come from the vocal opposition (ME and PA Republicans strongly opposed other items in the bill) since their Northeast constituents will likely benefit the most from HSR development.

So, $8bn is a lot of money, right? In U.S. relative terms, yes, this far surpasses any previous investment in HSR. However, it is only the beginning of what will be needed to build a comprehensive HSR network. And, apparently there is more on the way, whereby Obama (per Politico's interview with administration officials) is prepared to add $1bn each of the next 5 years within his initial 2010 budget outline.

What's next? Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is given 60 days to come up with a strategic plan for the funds. The combination of large capital upfront — followed by annual appropriations — fits the prototype for the infrastructure bank once considered for, but never included in, the recovery bill.

Then what? Simply throwing a large chunk of money at HSR is not going to make it successful. It is going to take prudent deployment of these funds but more importantly it is going to take a combination of private investments, human ingenuity and U.S. labor to bring Obama's vision to reality. Some call HSR a pipe dream and mock it as an investment into fairy tale programs to nowhere however these were dreams we let fail more than 25 years ago. Dreams which fell along with the middle-class of our nation and the blue-collar workforce. Dreams are what defined this country's leadership throughout the world and thinking beyond the status quo is what will propel us into the 21st century as a leader the world can respect and join.

Let's get to work, and make good on Obama's Signature Issue of this Stimulus Package! Join POW V High Speed Rail in connecting the corridors and redefine the dreams of PA, OH and WV and the nation they've built before.

Some of the information from this post is sourced from David Rogers' article for Politico.

JOIN US TODAY!

POW V Management
highspeedrail@powvtransit.com

Stimulus Package and Mass Transit

Today, the Senate passed their version of the stimulus bill. Since the same legislation must be approved by both Houses of Congress, we now await Conference Committee to hammer through the differences between the Senate and House versions. Then, the two houses will have to vote and approve the same bill prior to President Obama's final signature.

The Transport Politic prepared the below comparison chart which details the two house's versions which is reconstructed below. For more discussion, go to Transit in the Stimulus Package.

Within the mass transit aggregate, there are some 'winners' and 'losers' in the two version. For high speed rail, it appears the Senate version will provide a more friendly environment for the surging high speed rail discussions. Although only a fraction of the total stimulus package (mass transit will not get much more than 1% of the total spend), $2bn for high speed rail could throw 'fuel to the fire' in promoting high speed rail investments around the country. Pending the final package, there appears to also be some 'wiggle room' for the states to determine the allocation of the transportation spending between building roads and building public transit. This could go a long way in stabilizing state/local projects which might otherwise be compromised in the face of tight budgets during a recession. To let these projects fail and not bring forth even bolder strategies for mass transit will be a failure in many aspects. Failures we might not realize until we hit the next economic crisis, oil shortage, national security breach or all of the above. We must invest now in the next generation of moving people. This is no George Jetson transportation system, this is a real solution which is being successfully utilized throughout the world. It is widely discussed how Germany, France and Japan have used high speed rail for decades however we're now seeing countries like Sweden move ahead and Turkey is scheduled to open a high speed rail line in March.

Join our movement in bringing high speed rail to America!

Email us at highspeedrail@powvtransit.com or visit our website at http://www.powvtransit.com/ to become a member of our growing movement...

POW V among 80 U.S. High-Speed Rail Respondents

Earlier this week, the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee announced they've received 80 responses to the Federal Railroad Administration’s request for expressions of interest to develop high-speed rail corridors. Although still without full recognition as a defined high-speed rail corridor, POW V is sitting amongst the 'big guys' on this list which includes: transportation finance companies; transportation consultants; architectural, engineering and construction firms; rail service providers; major international conglomerates; train manufacturers; and state departments of transportation. However, we're the only group proposing the strategic Pittsburgh to Columbus 'right of way' which we secured some 25 years ago.

Now that we're 'on the list' how do we get 'on the map'? What's next? POW V is now moving into the next phase of its action plan: building awareness in the communities along the line and attaining support from key legislators/leaders for this transformational development. The more people hear our proposal, the more strength our movements gains. Although bold and monumental in its intentions, relying on this tri-state region to develop the next generation of transportation and infrastructure is not a new story. There are many reasons this tri-state region served as the focal point for our country's transportation needs including the original rail lines of the 19th century, the river boats/barge system connecting to the Mississippi (and beyond), and the original Interstate Highway system including I-70 (and it's predecessors). We'll break the primary reasons this region has led the transportation developments throughout American history into groups: location, natural resources and people.

Location: the PA/OH/WV tri-state region has and is the most central location amongst our nation's population and business. The region sits about 400 miles from NYC (#1 U.S. pop) and Chicago (#3 U.S. pop), less than 300 to DC and Philadelphia (#5 U.S. pop), within 700 miles of the southern hub of Atlanta and within a days drive to many other key cities on the East of the Mississippi. And, it is within a stone's throw from our northern border with Canada.

Natural Resources: there are several resources in abundance within this region which have each served industry and development to this day. First, the vast amounts of water flowing through the Ohio River fed the movement westward and facilitated usage of the other resources of the region including coal and iron which helped drive the steel, aluminum and other industries.

People: the people side of this is likely a derivative of the former two factors whereby the region's service as the original 'gateway to the west' left many cities and people along the way and the rise of the steel and other industries attracted a plethora of foreigners to work in the rise of the blue-collar jobs. The blue-collar workforce continued to grow in the region until the late-70's when mills and plants started to close. The 'dumping' of cheap foreign steel, rise in U.S. labor costs and the inability to 'reinvent' the blue-collar industries all played a role in the decline of this region's economy and its people.

This is where POW V comes into play. Tapping into these primary resources, we (inclusive of all people within the region) plan to 'reinvent' and reestablish this region as the backbone for transportation and infrastructure. High-speed rail is already very successful in other parts of the world and now is the time for America to wake up. Now is the time for the PA, OH, WV tri-state region to step up and puts its resources, ingenuity and muscle at the base of this movement and carry a nation into another generation. Call it a green-collar economy if you want however the people of this region only know it as a way of life. A way of life which puts food on their tables and leaves them with a sense of pride for their part in building a better world.

The time for high-speed rail in the U.S. is now and the political, environmental, and economical environments are all pointed in favor. The notion of bringing high-speed rail to the U.S. without inclusion of the strategic stretch of Pittsburgh-Columbus is fundamentally broken. Join our movement to bring jobs and pride back to this region and you'll be a part of building a stronger union for all. Go to www.powvtransit.com to learn more or contact us at highspeedrail@powvtransit.com.

Dear fellow Americans-

Dear fellow Americans,

In this age of hope we present what is a good idea. While the nation springs forward to take on the challenges of the future we say why not here. It’s our idea to include our area in the growth to take place. Specifically to put POW V (Pennsylvania, Ohio & West Virginia) in the national high-speed rail infrastructure that is planned for the future. But beyond just putting our link into the network we propose prototyping the structure. We intend to use the local coal, steel, and electric in building our system and then others. This region has served as the backbone for the country's infrastructure many times before. We are now positioned to leverage our strengths towards the new economy which will serve our economy, our people and our environment for many generations to come. This will mean a lot to our community, it means destiny as a leader in an industry that is in its infancy. An industry whose time has come and whose needs are enormous towards fueling a sustainable future. We need everybody’s help in our efforts to go forward and that is why we ask you to join us at this time.

Membership to our association is quite simple just fill out the form and then we will email you with updates. As a member you will do whatever it is that you find of interest when the time arises. There are no dues and we will not send you anything besides an occasional email unless you request otherwise. At this point we are building a base to generate ideas and maintain an open line of communication. Remember by joining you are agreeing to be part of the destiny, the hope, and if all goes well our areas’ (and the country's) prosperity.

Sincerely,

POWV High Speed Rail Mgmt Team