News

Growing support for Clean Water legislation among lawmakers, local officials
Three months into the 2007 legislative session, discussions on how to deal with the biggest challenges facing North Carolina often come back to the state's most basic, pressing need: clean water. Early in the session, bills were introduced in both the House and Senate to fund clean water projects across the state through the issuance of $500 million in general obligation bonds to help local governments fund drinking water and wastewater projects. House Bill 127 and Senate Bill 208, the Clean Water Bond Act of 2007, are being led by Sen. Walter Dalton and Reps. Bill Owens, William Wainwright and Bill Daughtridge. Both bills stipulate that about half of the bond funds would be administered by the Rural Center through its Clean Water Bonds Program, with other funds also going to the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Both bills also provide a $50 million appropriation for critical needs, to include systems facing moratoria, public health and environmental emergencies. Rural Center President Billy Ray Hall says recent discussions indicate a high level of support for the legislation among lawmakers and local government officials. This is clearly not an issue we can afford to put on the back burner, Hall said, as evidenced by the fact that for every year the state does not fund clean water needs, we fall another half-billion dollars behind in needed investments to install, upgrade or replace water and sewer infrastructure. If your organization would like to add its voice to the growing number of people and groups supporting the Clean Water Bond Act of 2007, click here. To learn more about the legislation, click here.

North Carolina congressional members sponsor Trade Adjustment Assistance bill
No other state has been impacted by trade-related layoffs more than North Carolina over the last five years, so it's no surprise that North Carolina is the leading participant in a federal program designed to get dislocated workers back on their feet as quickly as possible. And though largely successful, the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program has some shortcomings that prevent the program from working as well as it was designed to. To correct that, 11 members of the U.S. House are pushing for an overhaul of the program with H.R. 1729, the Hayes-McIntyre Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act. Designed for workers who lose their jobs due to foreign trade, TAA benefits are most often used by laid-off textile, apparel and furniture manufacturing workers due to the impact trade has had on those industries. Workers that qualify for TAA are eligible for long-term training, extended unemployment benefits and tax credits for health insurance premiums. Under the new legislation, dislocated workers would qualify for enhanced, streamlined TAA benefits, including more and better access to career training and health insurance tax credits. In addition, dislocated textile and apparel workers would receive automatic access to the program after losing their jobs. TAA reform was a key recommendation of the Rural Center's Dislocated Worker Advisory Committee in 2005.

North Carolina could be the South's biofuels leader within 15 years, panel says
North Carolina should take bold, decisive steps today to position itself as a leader in biofuels within the next 15 years, according to a panel of state leaders charged by lawmakers with developing a strategic plan on biofuels. The nine-point plan, "Fueling North Carolina's Future: North Carolina's Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership,  is the result of seven months of work by more than 70 agriculture, industry, public policy and academic leaders under the direction of five co-conveners, including the N.C. Rural Center. The state's first measurable goal as laid out in the strategic plan: that 10 percent of the liquid fuels sold in North Carolina will come from biofuels grown and produced within the state by 2015. The plan also calls for the establishment of a statewide commission to guide the state's work on biofuels and a $25 million investment in research and development that will result in new and better biofuels feedstocks and processing capabilities. Other strategies include a state-funded incentives plan to make biofuels more cost-competitive and attractive to consumers, and a major public outreach campaign to bring North Carolinians up to speed on biofuels. To read a copy of the strategic plan online, visit the N.C. Biotech Center's website.

Meetings and Events

May 17 entrepreneurship training in Greenville targeted to local officials and rural leaders
A one-day entrepreneurship training for local elected officials and community leaders will be held in Greenville May 17 at the Greenville Hilton. The training, "Building Entrepreneurial Communities: Why, How and What Role for Local Elected Officials and Leaders  is sponsored by the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship in partnership with the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill. The training will provide local leaders with a better understanding of entrepreneurship development and their own role in helping build a culture that supports entrepreneurship in their communities. The cost of the training is $75. For more information or to register, contact Jennifer Loebenhofer at UNC.

Piedmont entrepreneurs to come together at May 10 event in Greensboro
The Piedmont Triad Entrepreneurial Network (PTEN) will hold its annual Celebration of Entrepreneurs event on May 10 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Greensboro. The event will feature the announcement of the top three companies in PTEN's Growth Accelerator Program (GAP). The program also includes information on Capital Connects!: Piedmont Angel Network and Inception Micro Angel Fund, which together have funded 20 companies. The event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with a presentation by Susan Strommer, president of the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds, and Katrin Burt, part of the information technology investment team with Durham-based Intersouth Partners. The cost of the event, including the 7 p.m. networking reception, is $30. To register online, click here.

May 11 ARDI conference to explore role of public universities in state economic transition
The Appalachian Regional Development Institute will hold its annual leadership summit on May 11 at Appalachian State University in Boone. The theme of this year's event is "Doing Our Part: The Role of North Carolina's Rural Public Universities in Economic Transformation." The conference is being held in conjunction with the University of North Carolina's five rural universities, which include Appalachian State, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, UNC-Pembroke and Western Carolina University. This day-long event will be held at the Rosen Concert Hall with a luncheon at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center. The event will examine the university system's plan for economic transformation in detail, give shape to the dialogue on how our rural universities will respond to this plan, and look at specific ways public universities can aid in the economic transition. The fee to register is $60. To register for the summit, click here.

North Carolina Chamber to host manufacturing summit in Greensboro May 29
The North Carolina Chamber (formerly NCCBI) will host a one-day summit on the future of manufacturing in North Carolina on May 29 at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro. The summit will feature sessions with national and state leaders, as well as reports on current competitiveness conditions and opportunities and critical insights by manufacturing leaders from across the state. Highlights of the events include the release of the state's first manufacturing competitiveness poll. Speakers include North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole and former Michigan Gov. John Engler, now the president of the National Association of Manufacturers. The fee to register is $100. For questions, call the North Carolina Chamber at (919) 836-1400. To register online, click here.

Southern Growth Policies Board to host annual conference June 3-5 in St. Louis
Hosted by Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, Southern Growth Policies Board's 2007 annual conference, The Southern Workforce Summit, will offer three days of discussion on building the next Southern Workforce at the Hyatt Regency in St. Louis. Panel presentations and keynotes will focus on strategies for creating an enterprise culture in the South with a workforce distinguished by entrepreneurial skills and attitudes. The conference will include the release of the "Report on the Future of the South 2007,  the presentation of the Southern Growth Innovator Awards, a town hall meeting with Southern governors and other leaders, and opportunities to network with regional representatives from business, government, workforce development and higher education. Register by May 7th for discounts. To view the conference agenda, click here.

Rural Center to hold E2 Energizing Entrepreneurship workshop June 11-13 in Boone
The Rural Center's Institute for Rural Entrepreneurship will lead a three-day workshop in Boone June 11-13 that will help local leaders learn how to stimulate homegrown jobs in their communities and create an environment that allows entrepreneurship to flourish. The training employs a team-based approach, so community leaders are encouraged to recruit a diverse team of four or five individuals who will continue to work together back home. This is the fourth "Energizing Entrepreneurship in Rural North Carolina  training to be held as part of a two-year initiative by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to build an effective entrepreneurship development system in the state. The training will be held in Boone at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center. The fee to register is $275 and includes meals and course materials. Lodging rates at the Broyhill Inn have been quoted as $108 per night. For hotel reservations, call 828-262-2204. To find out more or to register for the training, contact Leslie Scott at the Rural Center, (919) 250-4314.

Reports and Research

One out of every three jobs in the U.S. low-paying, according to new report
A new report by a Washington, D.C.-based think-tank presents a detailed look at low-wage jobs in the United States, which account for about one out of every three jobs nationwide. The report, "Understanding Low-Wage Work in the United States,  was released earlier this month by The Mobility Agenda, an initiative of Inclusion, a think tank affiliated with the Center for Economic and Policy Research. About 40 million jobs in the nation today -- or about a third of all American jobs -- pay low wages and offer limited benefits, according to the report. While a certain amount of low-paying jobs has remained fairly constant in the U.S. labor market over time, it's only been in the last six or seven years that labor analysts have seen a downward trend in the pay scale of those jobs. More troubling is data that show low-wage workers today are having a much harder time than ever before working their way into the middle class. To read the full report, click here.

Report explores 'creative class' theory of economic development for rural areas
A report in the April 2007 edition of Amber Waves explores the theory that rural economies could benefit substantially by stepping up efforts to attract a so-called 'creative class' -- engineers, artists, architects and other creative professionals that help stimulate business growth and jobs. These creative professionals most often live in urban and metropolitan areas, but according to report authors David McGranahan and Timothy Wojan, they are also found in rural areas with natural amenities such as mountains and lakes. It is surely not a coincidence, they write, that rural areas with a 'creative class' of residents tended to have higher rates of patent formation and manufacturing technology adoption in the 1990s, and higher rates of job growth between 1990 and 2004. The 'creative class' theory was initially researched and developed with major metropolitan areas in mind, according to the report, but is today increasingly relevant for rural areas, which tend to lose many of their creative thinkers after high school graduation. To read the report in its entirety, click here.

At the Rural Center

Technology efforts score e-NC Authority prestigious national award
North Carolina's e-NC Authority is one of six nonprofit organizations across the country to win the national "Techie  award for its success in enhancing the capacity of the state's nonprofit sector through online applications development. The Techie awards were presented by Grassroots.org, a national nonprofit working to boost technology in the nonprofit sector, at a special ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 6. The seven-year-old e-NC Authority was established by the N.C. General Assembly to boost high-speed Internet connectivity and technology-based economic development throughout the state, and particularly in rural areas. The e-NC Authority is housed at the N.C. Rural Center. To read the press release announcing the e-NC Authority's Techie award, click here.

Funding Sources

Hewlett Packard announces grants for microenterprise programs
On May 8, Hewlett Packard will begin accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations that provide assistance for microenterprise programs. The company will award grants to nonprofit microenterprise development agencies, programs and higher education institutions in the United States, including Puerto Rico, that provide start up assistance, business training, access to capital and advice to entrepreneurs and very small businesses in underserved communities. The awards are focused on providing technology access for entrepreneurs and on training microentrepreneurs in the use of technology to build and grow their businesses. Hewlett Packard will award up to 40 grants worth $56,000 each. The deadline for submitting proposals is June 5. For more information or to apply, click here.

May 4 is deadline to apply for AT&T nonprofit technology grants
The 2007 AT&T Excelerator grant program will provide a total of $9 million in competitive technology grants to help local nonprofit organizations integrate technology into their operations and community outreach. This year, North Carolina nonprofits will compete against organizations in 21 other states for the grants, which are designed to help nonprofit groups improve their operations and build stronger communities through Internet access, data networking, online outreach, staff technology capacity, and pooled technology resources. To qualify, organizations must emphasize education, community development, health and human services, or arts and culture. Individual awards will range from $2,500 to $25,000 each, while collaborations by two or more organizations will be considered for one-year grants of up to $50,000. For more information or to apply, click here.

From the N.C. Press

North Carolina Associated Press: Lawmakers consider bills to improve hog waste methods
A Senate committee has approved the first of several bills designed to help North Carolina's swine farmers use cleaner methods to deal with hog waste. The bill sponsored by Sen. Charlie Albertson, D-Duplin, would create a permanent ban on hog lagoons and sprayfields. New construction of the waste management systems has been blocked for a decade by a moratorium due to expire in September. Albertson's bill sets higher performance standards for new hog-waste systems and calls for the state to provide financial help for farmers who want to replace their lagoons with technologically advanced systems. Two similar bills are pending in House committees. Another measure awaiting action would create a pilot program for using methane gas from lagoons to generate electricity. One more would simply extend the moratorium.

Freedom Newspapers: Legislative committee says coastal access in peril
The Waterfront Access Study Committee has recommended that the state give special tax breaks for coastal piers, fish houses and marinas along with appropriate money to preserve those uses to stem the loss of public coastal waterfront access points. The committee is calling on the General Assembly to adopt a tax classification called "present-use value," which is currently used by farmers, to be used to help preserve such access points. "Fish houses are closing," said Sen. Charlie Albertson, D-Duplin, a member of the study committee who also co-chairs the Joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture. "They can't compete with people who have all this money and want to develop these places." Fishing piers, fish houses and other access points for boats and fishermen are disappearing as the demand for waterfront property goes up, officials say. Current-use value allows property to valued for its current use for tax purposes, rather than the value of surrounding property, which could be significantly higher. The panel, overseen by the North Carolina Sea Grant program, also recommended creating a state trust fund to help retain working waterfronts and using more money to promote access to coastal public waters.

Wilmington Star-News: Oyster bill filed in N.C. General Assembly
The state's battered oyster population would likely get a boost under a bill sponsored by Sen. Julia Boseman, D-New Hanover. State officials say nearly 90 percent of North Carolina's oyster reefs have been lost since the early 20th century due to disease, overfishing and declining water quality. Scientists say it is important to maintain the state's oyster population because its filtering capabilities and importance as habitat for other marine critters are vital to the continued health and well-being of the state's coastal environment. Boseman's bill will allocate $16.3 million to jump-start a statewide oyster hatchery program. The initiative aims to raise up to 5 billion larvae a year to help rebuild the oyster population. Boseman's bill, which would meet the recommendations of a multi-agency task force, would pay for the construction of several facilities along the coast. But the bill doesn't guarantee a turnaround for the oyster, according to Ted Wilgis, a biologist educator with the Coastal Federation. Wilgis said the hatchery program must be complemented with smart planning and effective measures to control stormwater runoff and other pollutants that can contaminate coastal waters.

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The mission of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center is to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies that improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians, with a special focus on individuals with low to moderate incomes and communities with limited resources.

N.C. Rural Economic Development Center
Michelle Taylor, UPDATE editor
Courtney Tieman, UPDATE production manager
Elaine Matthews, senior vice president
4021 Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610
(919) 250-4314 Fax: (919) 250-4325
www.ncruralcenter.org