Southern Growth Policies Board

Southern Growth Policies Board Conference on Youth: the Real Future of the South ended after three days of exciting speakers and thought-provoking discussions. There is no doubt that conference attendees returned home to their respective states with new ideas on how to engage and involve one of our most important resources—youth and young adults. Click here and find out more about the conference and to download available presentation materials from the conference speakers.

SECTOR STRATEGIES PAPER JUST RELEASED

The Supporting Sector Strategies in the South, a new white paper from Southern Growth Policies Board (SGPB) and the National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP), highlights the success of Southern states with workforce development solutions that are leading to the establishment and success of high-growth, high-wage industries. The authors believe that this success can be replicated throughout the South. The paper is available at http://www.southern.org/pubs/pubs_pdfs/ssi_whitepaper.pdf.

SOUTHERN COMMON MARKET ON ALTERNATIVE FUELS TARGETS PERMITTING

Permitting of fuel plants and service stations is the #1 regulatory barrier to the advancement of the alternative fuel industry according to a survey of the research advisory committee for the Southern Common Market on Alternative Fuels-a project of the Southern Technology Council. The committee, consisting of the best public and private sector experts in the region, is charged with identifying industry barriers and suggesting solutions to overcoming the barriers. Fifty-four advisory committee members completed the survey. The next step is to create a set of optimal permitting regulations that, if adopted, would speed the construction of alternative fuel plants and services stations selling alternative fuels. Future areas of investigation by the committee might include facility funding and transportation regulations. The Southern Common Market is a project to remove all barriers to the free flow of goods, services, and factors of production between each other in the alternative fuels industry. Levers include the harmonization of standards, regulations, and policies that foster research and development, the growing of feedstocks, the building of commercial plants, the transporting and blending of fuels, and product distribution to the customer. If you know of resources that identify either best practices or onerous barriers in permitting, please contact Scott Doron, Director of Southern Technology Council, at sdoron@southern.org.

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Southern Growth Policies Board, P.O. Box 12293, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Phone: (919) 941-5145, Fax: (919) 941-5594, Email: info@southern.org