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.
Showing posts with label pittsburgh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pittsburgh. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
POW V Corridor is the Missing Link
Above is a map of the current corridors being funded for high-speed rail proposals. The POW V corridor we propose connects the Keystone and Chicago Hub Network. It is an obvious "missing link" in this national infrastructure which will link the eastern seaboard to the Midwest. It is over a right-of-way that extends from Pittsburgh PA to Columbus OH. Before it was degraded in the 1980’s it was called the Panhandle Mainline because runs across West Virginia’s panhandle. At that time we made application under federal law to preserve the right-of-way for high-speed rail. We are currently trying to take that effort further.
We need your help in that effort. The FRA decided that we are not eligible to respond to the current requests for proposals that are due by September 2009. We would like you to help us get the POW V corridor included so that the FRA will accept our future planned proposal. If you're looking to be a part of transforming a region and building a national infrastructure for tomorrow, you'll want to engage with POW V today. Once you join our growing movement, we'll let you know how your efforts can be optimized.
Thanks in advance and we look forward to hearing from you,
POW V High Speed Rail
highspeedrail@powv.transit.com
Join POW V @ http://www.powvtransit.com/Join_POWV.html
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