Creating Regional Solutions Since 1971
November 2019
News
Commerce Workforce Assessment Report Published as Part of Gov. Cooper's Clean Energy Focus

The Department of Commerce published a report October 1 that offers an assessment of North Carolina's workforce with regard to clean energy and clean transportation. Published in response to Governor Roy Cooper's Executive Order 80 (EO-80), Commerce developed this report to inform a broad initiative to transform the state's energy economy.

Commerce's plan was presented along with three others published by other state agencies at a meeting of the Governor’s Climate Change Interagency Council on September 27.

"I’m committed to fighting climate change and securing more clean energy jobs for our state and these plans help us do both,” said Governor Cooper. “Our state is taking strong action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and grow renewable energy sources, which will create jobs and support innovation.”


CBO Report Examines Vehicle Mileage Tax for Trucks

A 43-page report issued by the Congressional Budget Office on October 17 examines whether a federal vehicle miles traveled or VMT tax on commercial trucks can help sustain the Highway. . .
 
Congratulations
Ashleigh Glover...

Ashleigh is an Aging Program Specialist with the UCPCOG.

Ashleigh Glover, left, with Charles M. Johnson



Charles M. Johnson of Nashville has established a new scholarship to support Nash Community College students pursuing careers caring for patients suffering from age-related dementia.

Ashleigh Glover, NCC Human Services Gerontology student, of Wilson, is the first to receive the Alzheimer’s Care Scholarship established in 2019.




SIMULATION PARTNERSHIP RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD






WASHINGTON, DC – The Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments (UCPCOG) based in Wilson North Carolina has received a 2019 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for the Regional Simulation Partnership.

The Regional Simulation Partnership (RSP) involves organizations who are willing to work together to develop a “Game Based Career Pathway” (GBCP) approach to workforce development. The RSP is working with economic development, education, game development, governmental, philanthropic, and workforce development organizations to develop game based career pathways that match up with nearby industries. 

“A lot of data available strongly suggests that a majority of youth today routinely play video games. There is a great opportunity to incorporate game simulations into existing career exploration efforts, and make them more relevant to the younger generation. The game simulations provide a cost effective way to provide virtual work experience for youth, and give them a bird’s eye view of some of the tasks that may be involved if they worked in one of the industries”, said Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments Executive Director Robert Hiett.

The UCPCOG and the Turning Point Workforce Development Board ( TPWDB ) created the NC Simulation Station (NCSS) to serve as an online resource for developing a game based career pathway approach. The website for the NC Simulation Station is located at  www.ncsimulationstation.com   .
NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center

The NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center works in regions, counties, cities, towns, downtown districts, and in designated North Carolina Main Street communities, to inspire place-making through building asset-based economic development strategies that achieve measurable results such as investment, business growth, and jobs.

For Strategic Economic Development Planning
Main Street program participants
Communities, not in the Main Street program
WHO SHOULD YOU COUNT ON THE 2020 CENSUS

T he 2020 Census will count every person living in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories.

If you are completing the census for your home, you should count everyone who is living there as of April 1, 2020 (Census Day). That means everyone who is living and sleeping there most of the time.

You may have questions about how people in some special circumstances are counted on the 2020 Census, including people who move on Census Day, people born on Census Day, military members, and more.

Click the link to the right to find out who you should count on your census form.

EDA Invests to Help Spur Economic Development in Qualified Opportunity Zones and Related Areas Across the Country


Opportunity Zones  were created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and  signed into law  by President Trump on December 22, 2017, to stimulate economic development and job creation by incentivizing long-term investments in low-income neighborhoods.

More than 35 million Americans live in nearly 9,000  specially-designated Qualified Opportunity Zones , which were identified by Governors and certified by the Department of the Treasury, throughout the U.S. and its territories .


NORTH
CAROLINA ELECTRIC UTILITIES



When most North Carolinians think of an electric utility, they most likely think of any one of the three investor-owned utilities that serve the state: Dominion North Carolina, Duke Energy Carolinas, or Duke Energy Progress. In addition, there are 29 electric membership cooperatives and 76 municipally-owned electric utilities that also serve customers in North Carolina. 

The North Carolina Energy Providers  Map , while not meant to be an exact indication of the service territory of each utility, demonstrates the general area where each of these utilities serves customers. It also shows the location and type of all the electricity generating stations in the state that are 1 MW or larger in capacity, with delineations between renewable and non-renewable sources. 
Funding/Grants

  • The Clean Energy Industry in North Carolina now boasts participation by approximately 1,700 companies (up from 468 in 2008), provides more than 43,000 jobs, and generates over $14 billion in annual revenue (up from $3.5 billion in 2009).

  • The total economic impact in North Carolina from clean energy (renewable energy and energy efficiency) project development from 2007 to 2018 was $28.2 billion. 

  • Investment in 2017 and 2018 accounted for 32% of total cumulative investment over the last 12 years. 

  • A review of 50 North Carolina counties revealed that properties with solar facilities paid almost $10.6 million in property taxes in the year after the facilities were developed compared to only $513 thousand in the prior year; a nearly 2,000 percent increase. 

  • The economic development potential that comes with offshore wind is astounding. In North Carolina, we could see $1 billion to $5 billion invested in our state from a 2,000 MW project. 

  • North Carolina’s Clean Energy Industry provides 43,238 jobs in the state, constituting almost one percent of the 4,536,400 jobs in North Carolina in 2018. 
 
Workshops/Webinars
EDA FY 2019 Disaster Supplemental Funding Webinar Recording and Slides
Now Available!

Were you unable to attend EDA’s FY 2019 Disaster Supplemental Funding Opportunity Webinar last month? 

To view the complete webinar video recording and download the slides, visit our  Disaster Supplemental Web page . 
CHAPTER 160D Workshops
 Registration Open!

Registration is now open for the Chapter 160D Regional Workshops! Click here to register:  https://www.sog.unc.edu/courses/chapter-160d-regional-workshops

North Carolina re-wrote the state’s land use laws, and local governments will need to update ordinances and policies in 2020. The School of Government is providing resources and training for implementation of Chapter 160D. For additional resources and training opportunities, visit  nc160D.sog.unc.edu.

Adam Lovelady and David Owens will be traveling across the state in January to offer workshops for practitioners. These workshops are intended for local government planners, attorneys, and related staff involved with the amendment and administration of local development regulations. Other practitioners involved in local development regulation are also welcome to attend.


Workshop registration will include a copy of the forthcoming book on Chapter 160D. The workshop is offered in conjunction with online training that will be available in advance of the workshops. Instruction will presume that participants have already viewed the online training and reviewed available materials.

Dates and locations are as follows:
  • January 16 | RTP (8:30am-noon)
  • January 16 | RTP (1:00pm-4:30pm)
  • January 21 | Asheville (1:00pm-4:30pm)
  • January 22 | Greenville (1:00pm-4:30pm)
  • January 23 | Wilmington (1:00pm-4:30pm)
  • January 28 | Kernersville (1:00pm-4:30pm)
  • January 30 | Charlotte (1:00pm-4:30pm)
  • January 31 | Charlotte (8:30am-noon)

Fee: $100 (includes the new book, Chapter 160D: A New Land Use Law for North Carolina)

Credit: AICP: 1.5 CM and 1.5 Legal CM credit CZO: Pre-approval requested

These regional workshops are offered in partnership with Pitt County, the Cape Fear Council of Governments, New Hanover County, the Centralina Council of Governments, the Triangle J Council of Government, the Piedmont-Triad Regional Council, and the Western Carolina University Local Government Training Program
 
Events
Please take a short survey and help shape the future of transportation in North Carolina. The N.C. Department of Transportation wants to build a transportation system people want, need, and will use.

So, what is it that you want? Now is the time to speak up.

Participate in the survey to tell NCDOT what is important to you. Share this survey with your family and friends. Everyone’s voice is welcome.

The survey is part of an update to NCDOT’s long-range planning effort, called NC Moves 2050 .

Sign up to receive information throughout the study and learn more at www.ncmoves.gov.

Best regards,
NC Moves 2050 Project Team
Workforce Development
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STEP , along with Turning Point Workforce Development Board , were thrilled to accept the Work Ready Community Award for Nash County at the National ACT Summit in Charlotte. Pictured: Jane Finch (STEP Business Liaison), Duna Dickinson (NC Works Outreach Coordinator), Vivian Edmondson (STEP Educational Specialist), and Pam Gould (STEP Executive Director).

Kudos on a successful RAMP East (Advanced Manufacturing) class at Halifax Community College.

Thanks to Michael Williams (Board Director), Angie Jenkins (RAMP East Recruiter) and HCC Customized Industry staff for collaborating on this initiative to create courses, provide instructors and class.
Senior Corner
A Well-Aged Mind
Maintaining Your Cognitive Health

Getting older can bring many changes, both physically and mentally. Even when you’re healthy, your brain and body start slowing down. Maintaining your cognitive health—the ability to clearly think, learn, and remember—is important for your overall well-being.

Starving Seniors:
How America Fails To Feed Its Aging

Indeed, millions of seniors across the country quietly go hungry as the safety net designed to catch them frays. Nearly 8% of Americans 60 and older were “food insecure” in 2017, according to a  recent study released by the anti-hunger group  Feeding America. That’s 5.5 million seniors who don’t have consistent access to enough food for a healthy life, a number that has more than doubled since 2001 and is only expected to grow as America grays .

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