July 20th OTWG Meeting Wrap Up

Attendants: Richard Stuebi, Dale Arnold, Steve Millett, Andrew Bremer, Michael Jung, Jerry Leanderson, Scott Miller, & Gene Krebs.

Not in Attendance: Neil Drobny, Jim Coleman, Jack Shaner

Blog:
Clean Fuels Ohio has developed the online blog for the Ohio Transportation Working Group located at www.otwg.blogspot.com/ which is used as a forum to comment on the activities the group is undertaking. This tool will soon evolve into a full website to be used as a media/public relations tool.

New Members:

Jerry Leanderson - Fleet Account Executive, General Motors
Stephen Millett, Ph.D. – Founder, Futuring Associates, LLC
Andrew Bremer – Executive Director, All Aboard Ohio

Activities & Next Steps:
During the meeting the group discussed the Project Focus Question, Mission, and Scope . It was decided that members should provide comment and insight on the draft statements (see below)which will be finalized at the next meeting.

Please provide your availability for the next meeting via the survey link below. The meeting will be held at the Clean Fuels Ohio offices located in the OSU Center for Automotive Research at 930 Kinnear Rd in Columbus.

http://www.doodle.ch/dptJqQS6iTax

Please submit your availability by close of business August 1, 2007. The meeting will be set on August 2nd and you shall be notified as such.

Ohio Transportation Working Group Focus Question

Focus Question:

How might Ohio consume transportation in the year 2030? What are the most likely scenarios factoring in the possible development of a carbon regime, the cost of infrastructure, demographic expectations and economic growth within the state? What are the factors that the government can influence?

Please provide remarks, changes or suggestions by adding a comment.

Ohio Transportation Working Group Mission Statement

Draft Mission Statement:

To provide Ohio policy makers with several possible scenarios of Ohio’s transportation sector, environment and economy in the year 2030. Then, to present policy makers with the scenario that will achieve the greatest aggregate benefit for all Ohioans. For our purposes, the factors considered in determining which case will provide the “greatest benefit to Ohioans” are, job creation and economic benefit to the state, reduction of petroleum based fuel consumption, regional air quality improvement, reduction of climate change emissions, and the lessening of other negative environmental impacts in the transportation sector.

Please provide remarks, changes or suggestions by adding a comment.

Ohio Transportation Working Group Project Scope

Draft Scope:

Ohio is positioning itself to be a logistics hub in the United States. The scope of this group will focus on any means and technology that can effectively move goods and people, including air transport, marine transport, and surface transport, within the state and abroad. The scope of this group also includes the use of infrastructure to efficiently move goods and people.

Please provide remarks, changes or suggestions by posting a comment.

American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy

The link above is to a report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. The section on transportation begins on page 29. Note that Ohio is dead last in table 5.1 on page 32.

All the best,

Scott Miller

American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy Study

Notes from June 26^th Transportation Policy Meeting

Core Group Attendees:

Gene Krebs, Greater Ohio

Neil Drobny, Central Ohio Sustainability Alliance

Dale Arnold, Ohio Farm Bureau

Michael Jung, Office of the Governor's Energy Advisor

Sam Spofforth, Clean Fuels Ohio

Jim Coleman, Ohio’s Tomorrow

Richard Stuebi, The Cleveland Foundation (via teleconference)

Additional Group Members (unable to attend)

Jack Shaner, Ohio Environmental Council

Scott Miller, Local Government/Rural Development Dept., Ohio University

Project Audience

The committee determined the target audience for the work would be in two tiers. The first tier would include state legislatures, executive officials, departmental agency heads, and metropolitan planning organizations. The second audience would include interested officials from local and municipal governments, businesses, and other smaller entities who could use the information as a touchstone for local projects.

Purpose, Mission and Scope

Sam Spofforth briefed the committee members about the origins, purpose and goals of the project. Discussion ensued following this overview. Questions included –

• Are we driven by environmental or energy security concerns primarily? The answer seems to be both are equally vital.
• Does our scope include rail, air and marine as well as surface transportation? The answer is unclear but there is concern about a scope that becomes to large and unmanageable given time and resources.
• Are we concerned about life cycle or just impacts from fuels and vehicles on the road? Also, are we concerned about production or just use? The answer seems to be that we are concerned about the whole life cycle picture.

Suggested list for Additional Committee Members

Spofforth suggested that the core group be kept to a manageable size but that staff and core members make a point of consulting with a very wide range of subject-matter experts and interests. The following list of prospective additional core group members has been organized in separate categories based on transportation area. Contacts are prioritized by number for the addition to the core group based on committee and staff input.

City Planning

1. City planner based on the reference of Hazel Morrow Jones
2. Chester Jordan (MORPC)

Rail Transportation

1. Stu Nicholson – Ohio Railway Commission
2. All Aboard Ohio
3. Ohio Central Rail
4. 1,000 Friends of Central Ohio

Local Government

1. Steve Stolte – Union County Engineer

Logistics & Product Transport

1. The Limited Brands
2. Kroger
3. OSU Green Logistics Professor – Reference from Neil Drobny

Research Companies

1. Battelle or Eaton

Engine Manufacturers

2. Honda Motors
3. General Motors
4. Ford

Committee Chair

The core group appointed Sam Spofforth to be the interim Committee Chair until the group and mission is more defined.

Next Steps

For the next Transportation Energy Meeting in July the Core Group will determine the Mission and Scope of the project with the assistance of the new Core Group members from the list above.

Following the July meeting the group will convene to examine the Transportation Budget in the State of Ohio and conduct a visionary exercise with a facilitator. The committee suggested that we approach ODOT, Ohio Public Works Commission (Mike Miller), or the Office of Budget and Management for experts to brief the committee. Clean Fuels Ohio may enlist help from some committee members to make these arrangements.

Based on discussion at the meeting, staff will obtain information from Dale Arnold about the Ohio Wind Working Group, then distribute this to the group. OWWG may be a model for us in terms of process, composition, or in other ways.

Clean Fuels Ohio will also develop an interactive blog to update committee members and allow them to contribute at their discretion. If you have an interesting name for the blog, please feel free to submit it to Nikos@CleanFuelsOhio.org. Clean Fuels Ohio staff will also begin to compose language on draft mission statement. Staff will work to arrange expert speakers to provide insight on Ohio’s transportation budget and policy. Finally, staff will provide information in synopsis form with links to full reports and complete information.