The NS 999 is an all-electric, plug-in locomotive that reaches 1,500-horsepower and can recharge its batteries while braking. (Courtesy Norfolk Southern)

Norfolk Southern Corp. recently unveiled a prototype of a 1,500-horsepower switching locomotive that relies exclusively on rechargeable batteries for power.

Dubbed the NS 999, the all-electric, plug-in locomotive uses a lead-acid energy storage system made up of 12-volt batteries – 1,080 of them. The locomotive is able to recharge its batteries while braking.

Because there is no diesel engine, there are zero exhaust emissions.

“We strongly subscribe to the view that sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint are solid business objectives that also provide enormous benefits to the communities we serve,” said Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern’s CEO. “By utilizing regenerated kinetic energy of the train and with no diesel exhaust emissions, NS 999 achieves those goals.”

“Today, the transportation sector currently accounts for just under a third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, more than half of nitrogen oxide emissions, and almost three-quarters of our petroleum consumption,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, as cited in a Norfolk Southern statement. “We need to change that. By working together to develop alternative energy sources and innovative technologies like this electric locomotive, we will make transportation more sustainable and energy-efficient.”

The batteries in the prototype locomotive are monitored and controlled through an elaborate battery-management system to ensure safety and maximum battery life, Norfolk Southern said. When fully charged, it can go three shifts before recharging is needed.

From an article by Robert McCabe of The Virginian-Pilot.

Hampton Roads first annual TED event; welcome by Lesa Roe, Director of the first NASA, NASA Langley Research Center:

Each year since 2003, Regent University has hosted one of the most notable events of its kind in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Clash of the Titans debate features prominent national  leaders discussing timely topics ranging from the Constitutional Authority of the U.S. Supreme Court to whether military force can bring peace to the Middle East.

On October 30th at Regent University’s Communication & Performing Arts Center the question, “America’s Future: Can Capitalism Survive?” was debated by five notable personalities – Howard Dean, former Governor of Vermont, chairman of the Democratic National Committee and candidate for the Democratic Nomination for President 2004;  Arianna Huffington, Co-founder/Editor-in-Chief, “The Huffington Post,” nationally syndicated Columnist, co-host of Left, Right & Center and author; Dick Armey, former U.S. House Majority Leader and author; John Kasich, former Congressman, Host of Heartland with John Kasich, business leader and best-selling author; and Joe Scarborough, former Congressman, Host of Morning Joe and The Joe Scarborough Show and author serving as debate moderator.

Dr. Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice set the stage for the debate. Dr. M.G. “Pat” Robertson, Regent University President and Chancellor introduced Joe Scarborough, who introduced and invited the panelists to take their seats. Each panelist made an opening statement in response to the debate topic question followed by a series of questions offered by the moderator an collected from the audience. Each panelist made a closing statement followed by very thoughtful closing comments by Joe Scarborough. The following link to a piece written by Joan Benson that captures both the heat and humor of this lively debate:

http://www.regent.edu/news_events/?article_id=548&view=full_article#

BERKLEY BRIDGE SCHEDULED LIFTS PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD THROUGH DECEMBER 8, 2009
United States Coast Guard is accepting comments on the temporary deviation

(Survey Link)

Photo by Heather S. Hughes, Daily Press, 2004

A casualty of falling demand, the International Paper (IP) plant in Isle of Wight County will close in spring 2010. The likely long-term effects of IP’s planned closure will be unclear for some time, but two things are sure:  job losses at the plant will be spread over the entire region, and the economic “ripples” are likely to be huge.

With 1,100 people directly employed by the mill, the immediate effect on the area’s unemployment rate is likely to be harsh and sudden. But the wider effects could be staggering.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) estimates that an additional 2,400 other jobs in the region (businesses that provide goods and services) would be lost as a result of the closure, and that just focuses on Franklin, Isle of Wight, Suffolk, Southampton, Surry and Sussex. The report also predicts that 700 more Virginia jobs outside of that immediate locale will be lost as a result of the closure, putting the total expected job loss at 4,200.

Within hours of the mill’s announcement, Virginia’s Department of Labor had been instructed to set up a special “rapid-reaction task force” to determine how the state can help get people back to work. Paul D. Camp Community College and its workforce centers in Franklin and Suffolk as well as Opportunity Inc. will be instrumental in the retraining process.

Also according to the VEDP report, state tax revenues are projected to fall by $20.6 Million, and local tax revenues could drop by as much as $27 Million. Although the mill is located in Isle of Wight County, the city of Franklin shares in tax revenues generated by the paper mill under the terms of a 1986 agreement between the localities and will share in the revenue loss. Through IP’s shutdown, the county will lose $860,000 in real estate tax revenue in 2011, with the biggest hit — $5.2 Million — projected for 2012.

The plant, along with Smithfield Foods, who has recently decided to close one of its plants, was a significant source of revenue for these communities. The closures reinforce the need for diversification of the region’s industrial base.

Fortunately, Isle of Wight has some sound economic development strategies in place, including targeting one of the region’s powerful and growing sectors, port operations. The Intermodal Park welcomes warehouses and distribution centers and, hopefully, manufacturing, to generate new jobs, economic activity and revenue sources.

According to IP CEO John Faraci, the company “did not arrive lightly” at the decision to close its Franklin mill. IP is open to discussions regarding future uses for the site and is committed to working with state officials to “mitigate significant negative economic effects,” but any future uses that include paper-making would be “unsustainable.”

U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb have already begun taking additional steps to help the area recover from the mill’s impending closure. The two joined forces to send a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, asking him to consider the impact of the mill’s closure as he reviews a grant application submitted by the city of Suffolk to make improvements to Route 58 as part of the “U.S. 58-Hampton Roads Intermodal Corridor.” Neighboring Suffolk applied for a competitive grant under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program to help support the development of an intermodal warehouse and distribution park.

Even bigger questions are looming:  Will Franklin’s city schools lose enrollment because families are moving elsewhere for jobs? Or will they gain enrollment because parents can no longer afford private school tuition? Will the plant closure, paired with the already slow economy, equal double trouble for tax revenue? Will there be a glut of homes on the market that continue to drive down real estate value?

MORE on MANUFACTURING in HAMPTON ROADS:

The International Paper mill outside Franklin – gone by next spring, shreds 1,100 jobs. Also closing in 2010: the Smithfield Foods Packing Co. South Plant in Smithfield and the CooperVision contact-lens plant in Norfolk. Combined, the three shutdowns will cost the region at least 2,300 jobs.

Two years ago, Ford Motor Co. closed its Norfolk Assembly Plant, which at its peak employed 2,500 people to produce F-150 trucks.

Will anything be made anymore in Hampton Roads? Definitely – from power tools to auto parts to Navy warships. Reports of the death of American, and Hampton Roads, manufacturing are greatly exaggerated, say economists and companies. “It’s not the death of manufacturing; it’s the restructuring,” said Peter Shaw, a professor of business and economics at Tidewater Community College.

Hampton Roads, with its substantial military influence, doesn’t rely heavily on manufacturing. Yet as a percentage of “non-farm employment,” the region’s 7% rate for manufacturing exceeds the state’s 6.5%, said Bill Mezger, an economist with the Virginia Employment Commission. More than 40% of the local manufacturing jobs – about 23,000 – are in shipbuilding.

Despite the future closings, the region shows healthy manufacturing signs with manufacturers planning to expand and open in Hampton Roads:

• Sparta Composite Products building in Suffolk employing nearly 200 people by 2014;
• Continental AG closing a South Carolina plant and transfering operations to its Newport News site, adding nearly 320 jobs over the next 3 years; and
• Areva Newport News opens a new plant in 2012, employing 340 people, growing to 500.

This post includes excerpts from the following media sources: Suffolk News-Herald by R.E. Spears III and Nicholas Langhorne; Daily Press by Allison T. Williams; The Virginian-Pilot by Hattie Brown Garrow and Philip Walzer.

Eugene Ely takes off from the USS Birmingham in Hampton Roads on November 14, 1910

A commemorative stone recalls the event, but few of the people who walk by it every day could actually tell you what it says, or even care. As is true with so much of history, the man and deed are little remembered.

Such would not have been the case on November 14, 1910. On that particular day if you had been walking on the beach in what is now the Monitor-Merrimac Overlook Park in Newport News, Virginia, you would have seen an unusual site.

Just offshore, the light cruiser USS Birmingham was at anchor, with its bow covered by a large, slanted, wooden ramp. If you had been standing there at 3:16 PM that afternoon, you would have seen a fragile, wood and cloth, Curtis biplane rolling down the ramp and being launched into the open air. It was the very first time anyone had ever done it… the first “aircraft carrier” takeoff.

Eugene B. ElyThe pilot wasn’t in the Navy. He was a civilian race car driver and exhibition pilot  from Iowa, named Eugene B. Ely, and he had been flying less than a year. In fact, he had gotten his Federal pilot’s license (license #17) only forty days before. But it just so happened that, at that particular time, the US Navy was thinking about the possible uses of those brand new airplanes…. and Eugene must have done some fast talking for he managed to get the Navy to allow him to try his experiment.

Not having a lot of real aircraft carriers lying around at that time, the Navy selected the USS Birmingham and had it fitted with an 83 foot-long wooden platform at the Norfolk Naval Yard. By the morning of November 14 everything was ready. Ely had a ship, a wooden “flight deck,” and a Curtis “pusher” biplane, complete with a newly installed engine. His plan was to take off from the Birmingham and fly to the nearby Norfolk Naval Base.

Unfortunately the weather wasn’t cooperating. Squalls were causing choppy sailing and the Birmingham anchored off Newport News to wait. By early afternoon the weather had cleared a bit and an anxious Eugene Ely powered up his plane even as the ship began to get underway again. Without even waiting for the anchor to be completely raised, he started his plane down the platform and rolled off the bow of the ship. Ely’s little plane actually hit the water, before the engine lifted him back up. He was aloft, but had a damaged propeller and his goggles were covered with sea spray. Having accomplished his goal, he landed at Willoughby Spit, about two miles away. The total flight, from takeoff to landing, lasted less than five minutes but Eugene B. Ely had made aviation history.

Less than two months later, Eugene was in San Francisco. There, on January 18, 1911, he duplicated his Hampton Roads feat and went on to make the first “carrier” landing on the cruiser USS Pennsylvania.

Although successful in his aviation demonstrations, Ely had no luck trying to obtain a position as a naval aviator, as the Navy had no real flight program in 1911. He occupied his time in flying exhibitions. Tragically he was killed in a plane crash in Georgia, later the same year.

Consequently, his actual flying career was quite short, but the next time you see, hear, or read about Navy planes and carriers protecting us in distant waters, take a moment to thank Eugene B. Ely.

Story reprinted by permission from the Tidewater History Examiner.

DIRECT Video Link

“What Hampton shows us is that local government can prepare its leaders of tomorrow, but it also shows that government can engage people, of all ages and backgrounds, to bring real value — things of substance — to the community today.” – Carmen Sirianni, professor of sociology and public policy at Brandeis University.

In the late 1980s, Hampton, Va., faced the challenges of many blue-collar cities along its stretch of the southern Chesapeake: rising unemployment, a stagnant economy and the flight of young families to seek better jobs and fuller lives elsewhere. City leaders gambled on a novel response. They would target young people, hoping to cultivate a generation of citizens committed to Hampton’s long-term vitality. In 1990, the city launched Hampton Youth Civic Engagement, a program to instill community pride and leadership skills in young people and engage them in governance. Nearly two decades later, the program is still in operation and recognized as a national model for fostering civic engagement.

Read the full article in Miller-McCune online magazine written by journalist David Villano.

From a press release by the City of Hampton.

Coming November 20, 2009 at Christopher Newport University’s Ferguson Center!

What is TED? Conferences that gather the world’s leading thinkers and doers to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Unexpected connections are made, extraordinary insights and powerful inspiration abound. TED is about riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world, about ideas worth spreading.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as art, science, business, development, politics, space and more. TED was first held in Monterey, California, in 1984. In 2001, TED expanded to include an international conference, TEDGlobal.

Featured speakers have included Al Gore on ways to avert a climate crisis, Nicholas Negroponte on his One Laptop per Child project, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Sir Kenneth Robinson on whether schools kill creativity, Robin Chase on the world’s biggest car-sharing business and road-pricing schemes that will shake up our driving habits, and “Lost” producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created TEDx, a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.  (x=independently organized TED event)

TEDxNASA is Hampton Roads first TED event, sponsored by NASA Langley Research Center and National Institute of Aerospace.

At TEDxNASA, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connections in a small group. At TEDxNASA attendees will be just as extraordinary as the speaker line-up; they will include internet pioneers, local technology leaders, movie producers, architects, creative directors, CEOs, entrepreneurs, authors, engineers, investors, celebrities, scientists and leading opinion formers of every kind.

Some of the local presenters include:

• DR. PAUL ARAVICH, a Neuroscientist and professor of neuroscience at Eastern Virginia Medical School;
• BRENDA BARROW, The Math Lady from Outer Space, an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University;
• DR. JOEL S. LEVINE, a Planetary and Atmospheric Scientist at NASA Langley Research Center;
• ANNA MCGOWAN, an Aerospace Engineer and leader in adaptive technologies for flight at NASA Langley Research Center.

General seating for the public is limited and available first-come, first serve.

Old Dominion University President Emeritus Dr. James Koch released his in-depth analysis of Hampton Roads’ economy recently at an event hosted by LEAD Hampton Roads, the region’s oldest and largest leadership initiative. The annual address and report stimulate productive discussions about the future. This event now draws more than 750 regional leaders annually, up from humble beginnings ten years ago with only 50 in attendance. Some highlights by chapter:

The Regional Economy Contracts:

• Defense spending continues to cushion our economic downturn, now almost 45% of our economy, up from only 28% just 15 years ago.
• Two other major drivers, the port (cargo tonnage fell by almost 25%) and tourism (hotel revenue dropped by 4.5% as compared to the nation at 11.6%), have contracted.
• Stress tests for major regional banks were also performed, demonstrating that the examined banks are healthy.
• This recession will be our worst in 40 years; we’ve not had an annual gross output decline since 1975.
• Looking down the road, defense spending in Hampton Roads may stagnate with the threatened loss of an aircraft carrier task force (reducing GRP by almost .1% or $900 Million annually) and/or Naval Air Station Oceana, and the Department of Defense’s  (DoD) increased emphasis on fewer ships and more “boots on the ground” (ground forces).
• Job losses in 2008 were concentrated in construction and retail. Employment in ship and boat building remained relatively stable.

The Hotel Industry:

• Stagnant or declining patronage and excess capacity have made this a very challenging time for an industry that is vital to our future.
• The industry is getting larger, increasing the number of hotel rooms by 25.4% between 1988 and 2007, growing another 1,000 in 2008 to a total of 38,000. And, the industry is much larger than any other Atlantic Coast metro area, 52% greater than our next closest competitor, Jacksonville.
• The Historic Triangle has taken the biggest hit in the region.

The “Silver Tsunami”:

• In recognition of our aging population (in 2011, the oldest baby boomers turn 65), extensive data and ratings concerning 57 nursing home facilities, 104 assisted living facilities and eight continuing care facilities in Hampton Roads are included.
• Virginia’s senior population is expected to double between 2007 and 2030, and the number of those 85 and older will increase by 114%.

Gasoline Prices, Carbon Emissions and Other Unpleasant Subjects:

• Regional carbon emissions are included and how we might deal with them is explored (including higher prices).
• Because of its proximity to the ocean and ocean winds, Hampton Roads has lower levels of air pollution than other similarly sizes metro areas. We are more vulnerable, however, during peak tourism months, during military traffic peaks and when tunnels and bridges are congested.
• The region has a much smaller carbon footprint than Richmond (which ranks at the bottom one-quarter of the 100 largest MSAs) according to the Brookings analysis, despite the Port and heavy truck traffic.
• Our region appears to be less vulnerable to energy price spikes than many other regions, primarily due to our coastal location

Climate Change, Global Warming and Ocean Levels:

• To the extent that global warming occurs, it will bring with it rising sea levels, which, in the absence of new dikes and levees, will cover vast areas of the Peninsula and Norfolk, Chesapeake and the Virginia Beach oceanfront.
• According to a study endorsed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Hampton Roads is the 10^th largest coastal metro are in the world in terms of total assets exposed to increasing flooding from rising sea levels.
• Other resources include Gov. Kaine’s Commission on Climate Change and the Transportation Research Board’s “Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Transportation” report.

Traffic Congestion: Identifying and Measuring Our Bottlenecks:

• National analysis of traffic congestion identifies the 15 worst choke points in Hampton Roads; ost of them are connected to our tunnels.
• According to the 2008 National Traffic Scorecard, traffic congestion in Hampton Roads and throughout the U.S. has decreased by nearly one-third between 2007 and 2008. However, Hampton Roads is still in the top third of the most congested metro areas.

The Tunnels That Connect Hampton Roads: Wonderful Assets or Potential Achilles’ Heels?

• The prosperity of our region depends upon five major bridge/tunnel installations, all of which potentially can be closed either by accidents or terrorism.
• As we recently have discovered, they are vulnerable to a variety of possible threats.

The Chrysler Museum in 2009:

• The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of the foremost cultural jewels of our region, a repository of acclaimed masterworks in all genres and periods that has become an educational and aesthetic hub on the Atlantic Coast.
• It now faces challenges that stem both from significant economic constraints and internal reorganizations.
• It acts as a magnet for corporations that value cultural amenity, residents that wish to return to the excitement of a revitalized central downtown, and national and international attention that fuels tourism.

Dr. Koch’s overarching theme:  Hampton Roads is still doing better than the rest of the nation.  During the Q&A portion of the event, Dr. Koch emphasized a few items:

• Dealing with healthcare is a moral obligation;
• Over 50% of our national debt is owned by foreign holders, predominantly China;
• Raising gas taxes is good for our future, serving as a short-term revenue-raising benefit and a long-term benefit to “wean ourselves off foreign oil,” promote alternative energy development and use, and encourage alternative transportation methods;
• There’s “no way to escape the bullet” as cities will continue to experience revenue declines, demand for services will increase, and the state will transfer more financial responsibility to cities;
• There is much more regional cooperation, thinking and talking regionally, now than 20 years ago when Dr. Koch arrived in Hampton Roads; more is needed, especially consider combine services such as water, libraries, law enforcement and public safety, starting with one service at a time;
• What to do about DoD spending declines? Fight for DoD dollars and leverage other federal resources such as Jefferson Lab and NASA, spinning off related development;
• M&S growth is an important key to Hampton Roads’ future;
• The Port should continue to be dredged to be ready for the larger draft ships soon coming through the Panama Canal; and
• Diversifying the economy is more important now than ever.

Download the complete 2009 State of the Region Report HERE.

Clean Air-Cool Planet, in partnership with Wetlands Watch and Old Dominion University, recently held a climate roundtable in Hampton Roads to talk about the latest science on sea level rise and affects on coastal communities. Two internationally known scientists discussed recent findings about ice melt in the Arctic.

From the “Hip Boot Tour” of Clean Air-Cool Planet:

Dr. Robert Bindschadler, Ph.D., Chief Scientist NASA
Dr. Bindschadler has been an active Antarctic field researcher for the past 25 years. He has led field expeditions to Antarctica and has participated in many other expeditions to glaciers and ice caps around the world and currently sits on the US and International Planning Groups for the International Polar Year. He maintains active research into the dynamics of glaciers and ice sheets, investigating how remote sensing can improve understanding of the role of ice in the Earth’s climate. See Dr. Bindschadler’s presentation (PDF).

Dr. Jim White, Ph.D., Professor at The University of Colorado at Boulder
Dr. White’s specialties include global change, paleoclimate dynamics and biogeochemistry. Dr. White is a member of the Directorate of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at The University of Colorado at Boulder which does research, education, and outreach related to Earth System Science and Global Change in high-latitude, alpine, and other environments. See Dr. White’s presentation (PDF).

For more on Change-related stories, click HERE.