OnTrackWorld - User contributions [en]

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2026-09-15T18:56:39Z

CNeiss: Add Blog link to sidebar nav

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Blog/Collaboration Will Take Us Where Competition Can’t

2026-09-15T18:40:53Z

CNeiss: Add Blog section (new page, local draft reviewed and approved)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Collaboration Will Take Us Where Competition Can’t}}
{{Blog post header|author=Michael Sussman|date=September 13, 2026}}


Are people inherently altruistic, or are they self-centered? This question brings us to the heart of how we have organized our societies, economies, and governments. It is the most consequential question of our time. How we answer it determines whether we keep building our institutions around competition and mistrust or around collaboration and a shared future.

OnTrackWorld is founded on the conviction that collaboration and coordination, not competition, are the superior means of ensuring that business and government serve the best interests of all. Establishing that principle as the foundation of civilization is our purpose. But, we must first understand how we came to believe the opposite and why that belief has never been as solid as we were taught.

In America, in particular, we have been taught that striving for individual success is beneficial for everyone, as a productive capitalist society depends on it. The scientific basis for this precept is ostensibly "survival of the fittest," which has come to be widely accepted as the fundamental finding of Charles Darwin's research. The modern interpretation of survival of the fittest posits that humans, like other species, are naturally selfish and that selfishness drives progress. But is it possible that this belief is not only mistaken, but that it exerts an undue and debilitating influence on society? And does it actually represent Darwin's findings?

Most people would be surprised to learn that "survival of the fittest" was not Darwin's phrase at all — it was coined by Herbert Spencer and only adopted by Darwin in a later edition of ''On the Origin of Species''. Contrary to popular belief, Darwin's key observations of natural selection did not focus on individual competition. Darwin observed that in nature, the community provides the best perches, food, and resources to the strongest members, which confers on them reproductive advantages, so they ultimately produce the healthiest offspring. Harmony within the community, not domination of the community, is what Darwin observed. Moreover, he wrote that individuals in nature are inherently social, which is ultimately what produces and sustains well-being for the whole community.

Across the world, at any moment, on any given day, billions of people go about their business looking out for each other's best interests. If that weren't true, the world would not work as well as it does. Cooperation and thoughtfulness abound, while selfish, antagonistic acts pale in numbers. "Are people inherently compassionate or self-centered?" has remained an oft-posed question because of the difference in impact between acts of cooperation or love and acts of aggression or thoughtlessness.

Hug someone today, and the feeling of love can fade by tomorrow. You almost have to hug them repeatedly, and we do. Shoot or knife someone, drive drunk and crash, or meanly criticize another person, and the memory and consequence can last a lifetime. It is this severe and often lasting impact of violence and negativity that muddies our appreciation for the overwhelming amount of cooperation and consideration all around us.

So, how did we come to misapply Darwin's transformative work? Why did we orient commerce and governance around competition and mistrust rather than cooperation and trust? What would have us think that we must pit individuals, companies, organizations, political parties, and countries in an endless competition?

"Darwinism" gained popularity during the mid-19th century, when American and British industrialists sought a belief system to justify their massive accumulation of wealth and power. They sponsored members of a new intellectual field called Social Darwinism to promote a misreading of ''On the Origin of Species''. One of the movement's leading figures, Herbert Spencer, originated the term "survival of the fittest." Because the public's access to Darwin's book was limited, those in power used this disinformation campaign to influence public support for their versions of capitalism and democracy.

We all suffer under the influence of Spencer's false and destructive misinterpretation of nature and, indeed, humanity. Modern governance and commerce have since developed around an over-reliance on competitive debate, competing factions, and constant jockeying for attention and favors. However, competition stifles the collective potential of a society and is ultimately highly inefficient for towns, counties, states, countries, and their businesses.

Effective, efficient organization of all components of a sustainable industrial system is only possible through collaboration and coordination.

Of course, competition has its place in sports, games, and some aspects of business. However, orienting our civilization's primary functions around competition is outmoded and unsustainable.

Mounting environmental stresses from the world's exploding population and ever-increasing competition to exploit the globe's abundant yet finite natural resources threaten our peace and prosperity.

It is more crucial than ever to discard these outdated, limiting assumptions and embrace a new paradigm — one of commitment to our community, both locally and globally. It is time to redesign our systems of governance and commerce around collaboration, to ensure sustainability and prosperity for everyone.

What is OnTrackWorld's role in this essential shift in priorities? We teach and lead by convening stakeholders in productive dialogue using our question-based dialogue method, IntelliSynthesis®. By their nature, questions open our minds to intelligent thought, exploration, and shared knowledge. By synthesizing, cataloging, and utilizing this collective intelligence, diverse stakeholders can solve problems and implement action plans effectively.

Our work is informed by close interactions with more than 11,000 individuals across the continent who have overwhelmingly expressed their heartfelt desire for a world that works for everyone. As Darwin discovered almost two hundred years ago, a society advances when its members orient around essential collaboration and coordination — with competition serving as a tool within that collaborative framework, not as the framework itself.

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Blog/Founder's Statement

2026-09-15T18:40:52Z

CNeiss: Add Blog section (new page, local draft reviewed and approved)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Why Have We Created OnTrackWorld?}}
{{Blog post header|author=Michael Sussman|date=September 13, 2026}}


=== Why Have We Created OnTrackWorld? ===
<blockquote>''“Whenever I hear that we need a national dialogue, as in, we need a national dialogue on gun control, police reform, or voter rights, I wonder, where exactly would we have that dialogue? In the newspapers, on social media, in our courts? These venues are ill-suited for substantive national dialogues.”'' '''- Michael Sussman'''</blockquote>

'''This absence cripples our public policy—and our industrial systems.''' Industrial sectors operate as fragmented silos pursuing conflicting goals. Industrial development becomes isolated projects rather than integrated systems. Climate disruption and supply chain failures demand we redesign these systems for profitability and sustainability.

These challenges require collaboration across all stakeholders. OnTrackWorld brings together industry, government, academia, and communities for whole systems planning. We do this through '''[[Industrial Systems Initiatives]],''' using '''[[IntelliConferences|IntelliConferences®]]''' and '''[[IntelliSynthesis|IntelliSynthesis®]].'''

The missing ingredient isn't intelligence—it's infrastructure for collaboration. We have lacked a framework for building solutions without being derailed by competition and mistrust. Over thirty years working with thousands of stakeholders, we developed IntelliSynthesis to synthesize stakeholder knowledge into smart policies and investments.

Most assume that limiting stakeholder input speeds solutions. We've found the opposite: addressing all system elements builds consensus faster and reveals solutions that narrow approaches miss. The more we examine system interactions, the more we turn them into positive synergies.

'''Our transportation networks illustrate exactly why this systems approach matters.''' Consider how transportation has typically been planned, or more accurately, not planned. Supply chains have evolved as a chaotic response to shippers' and developers' site choices made without regard to transportation impacts. COVID-19 exposed supply chain gaps. The response was massive infrastructure investment. Unfortunately, this capital continues to be allotted for individual competing projects while serious system inefficiencies remain. Despite railroad's ability to move freight using one-third the fuel and producing one-third the emissions of trucks, we continue to stimulate highway-centric development while leaving railroads' energy, space, and capital efficiencies underutilized.

'''The root problem is structural.''' Stakeholders operate in a competitive and, in some cases, monopolistic mode, neither of which allows for the collaboration needed for rail development and supply chain efficiency. To create sustainable, multimodal industrial systems, we must shift toward integrated planning of supply chains, land use, and transportation.

<blockquote>''"Yes, a profound shift is necessary—and urgent. We live in a critical moment of potential environmental collapse alongside the need to expand economic opportunity. Redesigning industrial systems will deliver both environmental and economic sustainability. '''Join us to build industrial systems that match our intelligence!”''' -'''''Michael Sussman'''</blockquote>

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Blog

2026-09-15T18:40:52Z

CNeiss: Add Blog section (new page, local draft reviewed and approved)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Blog}}
{{Record header|updated=September 2026|steward=OnTrackWorld facilitation team}}

''Perspective and commentary from OnTrackWorld's founder and team, alongside the living record above. New posts appear here as they're published.''

{{OTW Card Grid|columns=3|content=
{{Blog card|page=Blog/Founder's Statement|title=Why Have We Created OnTrackWorld?|author=Michael Sussman|date=September 13, 2026|excerpt=The missing ingredient isn't intelligence — it's infrastructure for collaboration. Why OnTrackWorld exists, and what it takes to redesign industrial systems around collaboration instead of competition.}}
{{Blog card|page=Blog/Collaboration Will Take Us Where Competition Can’t|title=Collaboration Will Take Us Where Competition Can’t|author=Michael Sussman|date=September 13, 2026|excerpt=Are people inherently altruistic, or self-centered? A look at how "survival of the fittest" got misapplied to civilization — and why collaboration, not competition, actually built it.}}
}}

{{Page CTA|headline=Have a perspective worth sharing?|body=Blog posts are written by OnTrackWorld's founder and team as the work develops.|label=See how the work happens|target=Home Page#open-inquiries}}

Template:Blog card

2026-09-15T18:40:51Z

CNeiss: Add Blog section (new page, local draft reviewed and approved)

<includeonly><div class="otw-card otw-blogcard">
<div class="otw-blogcard-title">[[{{{page}}}|{{{title|{{{page}}}}}}]]</div>
<div class="otw-blogcard-meta">By {{{author|OnTrackWorld}}}{{#if:{{{date|}}}| · {{{date}}}|}}</div>
<div class="otw-blogcard-excerpt">{{{excerpt|}}}</div>
</div></includeonly><noinclude>
One post card on the [[Blog]] index page.

Parameters: '''page''' (the post's page name), '''title''' (defaults to '''page'''), '''author''', '''date''', '''excerpt'''.

<code><nowiki>{{Blog card|page=Blog/Founder's Statement|title=Why Have We Created OnTrackWorld?|author=Michael Sussman|date=September 13, 2026|excerpt=Why OnTrackWorld exists, and what it takes to redesign industrial systems around collaboration instead of competition.}}</nowiki></code>
[[Category:OnTrackWorld templates]]
</noinclude>

Template:Blog post header

2026-09-15T18:40:50Z

CNeiss: Add Blog section (new page, local draft reviewed and approved)

<includeonly><div class="otw-blogpost-head">
<div class="otw-blogpost-back">[[Blog|← Blog]]</div>
<div class="otw-blogpost-meta">By {{{author|OnTrackWorld}}}{{#if:{{{date|}}}| · {{{date}}}|}}{{#if:{{{category|}}}| · <span class="otw-blogpost-tag">{{{category}}}</span>|}}</div>
</div></includeonly><noinclude>
Byline strip for a Blog post: a link back to the [[Blog]] index, then "By [author] · [date] · [category]".

Parameters: '''author''', '''date''', '''category''' (optional).

<code><nowiki>{{Blog post header|author=Michael Sussman|date=September 13, 2026|category=Perspective}}</nowiki></code>
[[Category:OnTrackWorld templates]]
</noinclude>

MediaWiki:Common.css

2026-09-15T18:40:49Z

CNeiss: Append Blog component styles (additive only, nothing removed/reordered)

/* ==========================================================================
OnTrackWorld home page and inquiry components -- MediaWiki:Common.css
Ready to paste back into MediaWiki:Common.css as a full replacement for
the current OTW block there (keep any unrelated content already on the
page that isn't part of this block).
Palette: adjust --otw-ink and --otw-accent to the logo colours in onelineotw.svg.

Changes from the version currently live on-wiki (in_progress.css in this
repo is a record of that version):

- Removed the "Sidebar (Vector 2022 main menu)" block entirely -- the
body background photo, #content/header card, and main-menu/TOC card
are now built into the skin itself (resources/skins.vector.styles/
layouts/screen.less and components/SidebarCard.less), with fixes this
Common.css version never had: it follows night mode, the main menu
and TOC cards line up with the page and with each other, the default
scroll-fade gradient on the TOC card is suppressed, and the
rarely-used dropdown-only main menu container is no longer carded.
Leaving the old rules here would just fight the skin's own styling,
so once this replaces the live page, that section is gone for good.
- Collapsed a duplicate `.otw-zone-record .otw-card:hover` rule (was
defined twice back-to-back in the old version) down to one copy.
- Moved the small-screen media query to the end of the file. It has the
same specificity as the unconditional `.otw-zone`/`.otw-join-band`
rules it overrides, so it must come after them in source order to win
the cascade at narrow widths -- previously it happened to sit between
the card rules and the graphics section, which worked, but grouping
all the layout primitives together up top (as this version does)
means it has to move down to keep working.

Everything else is content unchanged, just regrouped by component so
each section reads top-to-bottom (base rules then that component's own
graphics), matching common-css-split/templates/ in this repo.
========================================================================== */

:root {
--otw-ink: #1c3557; /* deep rail blue: headings, primary buttons */
--otw-ink-soft: #3f5f8a;
--otw-accent: #c47a12; /* warm signal: current phase, live markers */
--otw-paper: #f7f5f0; /* warm off-white panels */
--otw-line: #d9d4ca;
--otw-text: #202122;
--otw-muted: #5c6470;
--otw-inquiry: #2f6f9f;
--otw-convergence: #b8741a;
--otw-commitment: #2e7d4f;
}

/* ---- Layout primitives ------------------------------------------------- */
.otw-hero,
.otw-how,
.otw-grid,
.otw-two-col,
.otw-join-roles { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 20px; }

/* ---- Hero banner + "how it works" strip -------------------------------- */
.otw-hero { align-items: stretch; margin: 0 0 28px; }
.otw-hero-text { flex: 2 1 480px; }
.otw-hero-aside {
flex: 1 1 260px; background: var(--otw-paper); border: 1px solid var(--otw-line);
border-left: 4px solid var(--otw-accent); padding: 16px 18px; border-radius: 4px;
}
.otw-kicker { font-size: 0.8em; letter-spacing: 0.12em; text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--otw-muted); margin-bottom: 4px; }
.otw-hero-text h1, .otw-hero-text .mw-heading1 { border: none; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; color: var(--otw-ink); margin: 0 0 12px; }
.otw-lede { font-size: 1.08em; max-width: 60ch; margin-bottom: 18px; }
.otw-aside-title { font-weight: 700; color: var(--otw-ink); text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 0.78em; letter-spacing: 0.1em; margin-bottom: 8px; }
.otw-aside-stat { margin: 6px 0; }
.otw-num { font-size: 1.6em; font-weight: 700; color: var(--otw-accent); margin-right: 6px; line-height: 1; }
.otw-aside-foot { margin-top: 12px; font-size: 0.9em; color: var(--otw-muted); }

.otw-how { margin: 0 0 32px; padding: 18px 0; border-top: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-bottom: 1px solid var(--otw-line); }
.otw-how-item { flex: 1 1 260px; }
.otw-how-item h4, .otw-how-item .mw-heading4 { margin-top: 0; color: var(--otw-ink); }

/* graphics: hero background diagram, text gradient, live marker */
.otw-hero { position: relative; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 520 300%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%23b7c4d6%22 stroke-width=%221.6%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22%3E %3Cg opacity=%220.9%22%3E %3Cpath d=%22M30 250 L120 200 L210 215 L300 150 L400 120 L500 60%22/%3E %3Cpath d=%22M120 200 L150 110 L260 70 L400 120%22/%3E %3Cpath d=%22M210 215 L330 240 L440 200 L500 60%22/%3E %3Cpath d=%22M60 90 L150 110 M330 240 L300 150 M260 70 L300 150%22/%3E %3C/g%3E %3Cg fill=%22%23ffffff%22 stroke=%22%23b7c4d6%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%2230%22 cy=%22250%22 r=%225%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22120%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22210%22 cy=%22215%22 r=%225%22/%3E %3Ccircle cx=%22300%22 cy=%22150%22 r=%227%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22400%22 cy=%22120%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22500%22 cy=%2260%22 r=%225%22/%3E %3Ccircle cx=%22150%22 cy=%22110%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22260%22 cy=%2270%22 r=%225%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22330%22 cy=%22240%22 r=%225%22/%3E %3Ccircle cx=%22440%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2260%22 cy=%2290%22 r=%224%22/%3E %3C/g%3E %3Cg fill=%22%23e3b77f%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22300%22 cy=%22150%22 r=%223.5%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22120%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%222.5%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22440%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%222.5%22/%3E%3C/g%3E %3C/svg%3E"); background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: right 250px top 40px; background-size: 460px auto; }
@media (max-width: 1000px) { .otw-hero { background-position: right -60px bottom 0; background-size: 360px auto; } }
.otw-hero-text { position: relative; background: linear-gradient(90deg, #fff 0, #fff 55%, rgba(255,255,255,0) 100%); padding-right: 40px; }
.otw-hero-aside { position: relative; }

/* live marker in the aside */
.otw-aside-title::before { content: ""; display: inline-block; width: 9px; height: 9px; border-radius: 50%;
background: var(--otw-accent); margin-right: 8px; box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(196,122,18,.6); animation: otw-pulse 2.2s infinite; }
@keyframes otw-pulse { 0% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(196,122,18,.55); } 70% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 9px rgba(196,122,18,0); } 100% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(196,122,18,0); } }

/* rail-line divider around the how-it-works strip */
.otw-how { border: none; padding: 26px 0;
background:
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) top / 100% 1px no-repeat,
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) top 5px left / 100% 1px no-repeat,
repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0 14px, var(--otw-line) 14px 16px) top / 100% 6px no-repeat,
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) bottom / 100% 1px no-repeat,
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) bottom 5px left / 100% 1px no-repeat,
repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0 14px, var(--otw-line) 14px 16px) bottom / 100% 6px no-repeat; }

/* icons: any element with otw-ic-* gets a 30px glyph above its heading */
[class*="otw-ic-"]::before { content: ""; display: block; width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0 0 8px;
background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; }
.otw-how-item[class*="otw-ic-"]::before { width: 34px; height: 34px; }

.otw-ic-rail::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M7 3v18M17 3v18M5 7h14M5 12h14M5 17h14%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
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.otw-ic-plan::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M6 3h9l4 4v14H6z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M15 3v4h4M9 12h6M9 16h6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
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RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska

2026-09-15T15:57:39Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

This is the Home Page for RE-FOREST Alaska

== IntelliConferences ==

* [[RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska/Background|Background]] - These are the foundational questions.
* [[RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska/Stakeholders|Stakeholders]] - These questions elicit local knowledge and stakeholder information.
* [[RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska/Material Supply|Material Supply]] - This round illuminates healthy forest treatment prescriptions and consequent material supply.
* [[RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska/Logistics and Processing|Logistics and Processing]] - These questions pinpoint current and needed logistics and processing capacities and opportunities.

RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska/Logistics and Processing

2026-09-15T15:57:38Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

<h2>Phase Three: '''Conceiving''' the Forest-to-Market System for Logistics and Processing of Forest Materials
</h2>

=== Core Questions: ===

* What innovations, logistics, business systems, and governance will support scaled-up local processing of forest material and, as needed, transportation to out-of-area processing to handle large excess volumes?
* How can these new initiatives align with existing forestry and economic development efforts?

=== Dialogue Questions: ===
# '''What is the optimal conception of existing and potential local processing facilities, including mills?'''
## Where are the in-area timber (lumber, pellets, paper, paperboard, energy, biomass) processing facilities?
## What are the barriers and opportunities for developing supply chains related to conventional forestry products (e.g., firewood, posts, flooring, timber, vigas, etc.)?
## What does each existing facility need to reach its capacity expansion goals?
## How do existing mills fit into a regional strategy?
## How do we coordinate processing capacity for optimal benefit?
## What is the optimal size and location of new processing capacity for conventional products?
### What are the implications/limitations of weather on the location choice?
### What are the implications of elevation and grade direction to the location choice?
### What are the implications of the road network on the location choice?
## What other value streams can be nurtured to encompass a complete forest treatment-to-market approach, including new uses of biomass for energy and construction materials?
### What are the barriers and opportunities associated with developing supply chains related to biomass energy, biochar, building materials, carbon markets, electricity, and other non-traditional uses of forest products?
### How can biomass and other income streams improve the viability of mill operations?
## What inbound freight exists for forestry, connected, and secondary industries, such as papermaking, chemicals, and animal feeds?
## What new associated product manufacturing facilities are made viable by this coordinated wood products planning?
## What new investments in existing or new technologies can be deployed in the region in the short- and long term?
## Where should new processing facilities for new technologies and products be optimally located?
# '''What forest materials need additional capacity to be met outside the area?'''
## Where are the nearest out-of-area wood processing facilities?
## Which facilities have supply needs or growth potential?
# '''What new logistics solutions and capital are needed for this long-distance transportation?'''
## What logistics services enable viable transportation of each forest’s harvested materials to the optimal destination?
## What new infrastructure elements are needed for each transportation solution?
## What truck types and fleet size are needed for local transportation?
## What rail car types and fleet management strategies are needed for instate and out-of-state transportation?
## Which transportation providers, including rail, trucking, port, and transload operators, can be engaged to assess the commercial feasibility of gathering and delivering forest products to domestic and foreign markets?
# '''How do the financial elements of this forest-to-market solution add up to an economically viable, culturally informed, and environmentally sound approach for everyone involved?'''
## What are the needs and opportunities for investors in RE-FOREST?
## Who are the investors that want to make these investments?
# '''What governance and commercial innovations are needed to sustain this collaboration?'''
## How do we best integrate local and Indigenous values into our process?
## What laws and protocols must be addressed to accommodate this coordination among Canada, the United States, and Mexico?
## How can relations with and between local, state, and federal governments be improved?
## What new governance arrangements need to be undertaken to create these improvements?
## What corporate or co-op structures are needed to reflect holistic, collaborative frameworks?
## Who should be seated at the table, and how is it organized?
## How do we fund whole communities, not just individual landowners and businesses?
## What financial and logistical support should be funded by the public sector?
## What existing or new public-private partnership can support the completion and implementation of the businss system for each RE-FOREST initiative?
## What are state or federal entities' major fiduciary and statutory requirements?
## What governance arrangements are needed to meet these state and federal requirements?
## What do agencies need to enable sharing or devolve power or authority to local, non-governmental, or collaborative entities?
# '''How do we interface with, support, and augment existing landscape and watershed conservation efforts?'''
## How does RE-FOREST collaborate with other large landscape and community forest conservation efforts?
## Specifically, which programs do we build on, and what models do we emulate regarding local and national initiatives?
## What pitfalls should be avoided - what has worked and what has not?
# '''How can we better synthesize public and private land stewardship?'''
## How can private forest lands be best-served by state and federal planning efforts?
## How can progress on private lands assist overall forest management and stewardship goals?
## How can the USFS and Alaska Department of Natural Resources assist in the stewardship of private lands?
## How do we ensure industry involvement is consistent with landscape conservation and community development goals?
## What assessments of existing industry barriers and needs have already been completed?
## Are local forestry-related businesses changing their business models due to recent fires?
## What assistance do forestry businesses need to more effectively contract with state, federal, or private customers?
## How can we better inform contractors of emergency harvesting activities to retain commercial value and maximize ecological and social benefits?
## What can we learn from the experience of previous fire mitigation and recovery efforts?
## How can local forestry departments and the national forestry agency (e.g., U.S. Forest Service) improve collaboration toward shared goals?
## How do we best integrate with existing federal government forestry frameworks, such as the U.S. Forest Plans completed in 2022, or should we follow other legal guidelines?
## How do we define the regional boundaries, and with whom must we align or partner in each region?

RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska/Background

2026-09-15T15:57:37Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

== Phase One: '''Illuminating''' the Overall Situation ==
=== Core Question: ===

* What overarching dynamics in forest management and the wood products industries inform the improvements needed to establish sustainable forests, vital local communities, and viable wood products companies and industries?
=== Dialogue Questions: ===
# '''What are the current conditions of our forests?'''
# '''What are the challenges to sustainable forest management?'''
# '''What approaches can stakeholders agree on for sustainable forest management?'''
# '''What issues and challenges do the wood products industries face?'''
# '''Who are the stakeholders in forestry and wood products?'''
## Landowners
## Watershed associations
## Local and/or Indigenous Peoples
## Individual citizens
## Economic development planners
## Landscape conservation collaboratives
## Environmental entities
## Elected leaders
## Subject matter experts
## Foundations
## Investors/lenders
## Scientific and research organizations
## Loggers, mill management, and other forest workers
## Trucking and transportation companies
## Equipment manufacturers and distributors
## New technology developers
## Related associations
# '''Who are the stakeholders in forest harvesting and processing?'''
## Forestry Industry
### Loggers
### Mills/processors
### Other forest workers
## Trucking and transportation companies
## Local and state economic development agencies
## Equipment manufacturers and distributors
## Elected leaders
# '''How many acres of forest are there, and where?'''
## Private lands
## State lands
## Federal lands
# '''What mills are in operation?'''
## What is the location of each existing mill?
## What value streams does each mill handle?
### What wood material does each mill handle?
### What wood products does each mill produce?
## Which mills are short on supply to satisfy their current capacity?
## Which mill management wants to expand capacity for value streams they already handle?
## Which mill management wants to expand to handle other value streams?
# '''Which mills have closed in the last ten years?'''
## Who is the current owner of each closed mill?
## What is the physical condition of each closed mill and its potential for repurposing?
# '''What is Alaska's Forest Action Plan?'''
## What does it say about the acreage?
## What does it say about the challenges?
## What solutions does it recommend?
## What logistics solutions does the plan lay out?
## What harvesting solutions does the plan specify?
## Is there an action plan for the Forest Action Plan?
## How is the plan commercially informed and commercially relevant?
## What emerging market opportunities does it present?
## What progress has been made since the last Action Plan was completed?
# '''Who wants to participate in these efforts to revive our forested landscapes and wood products companies?'''
# '''What community factors should be identified and weighed in decision-making?'''
## What demographic and economic dynamics of nearby communities should inform the project, e.g., population demographics, primary industries, unemployment, and economic conditions?
## What other related industries in the region should be considered in tandem with the RE-FOREST initiative, e.g., mines, mills, oil, gas, renewables, agriculture, and manufacturing?
## What are the economic development goals of the local communities?
## Which communities and residents should be included in evaluating and siting new facilities and infrastructure?
# '''What are the economic impacts of the forest products industry?'''
## What are the employment implications?
### How many people are directly employed?
### How many people are indirectly employed?
### How many people are unemployed?
#### What is that unemployment cost burden on the state?
### How much do employees earn in each forest product-related industry?
### Where in the county or state are these people employed?
### How do the state and county average wage levels vary by county?
### Which areas have the talent/skills for expansion, and which areas need to import new sources of labor?
### If employment talent is lacking, how will it affect the cost of this labor pool?
### How much impact would it have on state average wage levels?
### What is the seasonal impact of these jobs?
## What is the current economic impact of the industry?
### What is the gross revenue of each forestry and wood products activity types?
### What are the tax revenues?
### How much of manufacturing GDP does it comprise?
### How has the industry performed over the last year, five years, and ten years?
### Which sub-sectors have grown, and which ones have declined?
### How do the questions above vary by state and county?
## What are the marketplace dynamics to be considered?
### How can downstream industries like furniture manufacturing, wood pellets, paper, cardboard, and general milling help keep jobs in the US?
### How will this spur the trucking, rail, and shipping industries?
### How would growth in these industries improve our national balance of payments?
### What are the environmental concerns and sustainability trends that will impact the industry?
### How are tree planting subsidies impacting the expansion of forestry?
### How do technological changes impact the expansion and price of wood?
### How could the diversification of products in sub-sectors, such as paper mills, offset declines in traditional markets?
### How are national trade and tariff laws impacting the market for wood products?
### How are national trade and tariff laws impacting the market for forestry, processing, and transportation equipment procurement and sales?
### How will the housing construction sector impact the lumber industry?
### How are the interest and mortgage rates going to impact lumber demand?
### How much is the industry forecast to change?
# '''What are the non-timber industry benefits of improved thinning and holistic forest management?'''
## Reduces future fire risk and improves ecological function
## Accommodates human access and enables ecological and watershed restoration
## Improves balance between tree species for healthier ecosystems
## Stabilizes the soil and restores the landscape
## Increased downstream stream flow from forest thinning and fire recovery treatment mitigates drought and climate change and improves water access for agricultural producers
## Improves wildlife habitat and diversity
## Facilitates grazing and other traditional lifeways
## Advances livelihoods consistent with local and Indigenous values
# '''What are the economic implications of the non-harvesting forest activities?'''
## Tourism
### Camping and hiking
### Skiing
## Hunting
## Agriculture
# '''What do forest fires mean to the time-related concerns of forestry?'''
## How long do we have before burned wood has to be removed and used as timber?
## How long do we have before burned wood has to be removed and used as biomass?
## How does the urgency of ecological restoration demand our focused attention on optimizing existing service providers rather than bringing in resources from across the nation?
## What does the surge in harvesting mean for future supply and, therefore, commercial concerns now?
## How can work on the urgent priority areas be done to serve the next set of priorities?
## Is there a basis for installing “mobile” facilities, including new technology-focused ones, that can be moved to other forest regions?
## What are the “Consequences of Delay”?
### See Journal of Forestry, April/May 2004, by Dr. John Sessions et al.
## What is the best treatment of ground cover in the aftermath of fires for the long-term vitality of forests, and how is this integrated into forestry operations?
## How do we address high oak densities post-fire to accelerate recovery to later serial stages?
## What changes in genetic or ecological composition are needed to anticipate climate change?
## What are the best approaches to stump treatment?
## Given shifting climates, what are the desired future conditions for our landscapes, watersheds, and communities?
## What is the most appropriate balance between post-fire recovery and future fire mitigation?

=== Check out the next phase: [[RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska/Stakeholders|Stakeholders]] ===

RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska/Stakeholders

2026-09-15T15:57:36Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

== Throughout: '''Informing''' the Strategy with Local Knowledge ==

=== Core Question: ===

* What questions do we ask each stakeholder group to inform the overall strategy and action plan with local knowledge?

=== Dialogue Questions: ===

# '''What questions do we ask specific stakeholder groups, and what have they contributed to the collective thinking?'''
## Local and Indigenous peoples
### How does forest and watershed renewal align with your values and lifeways?
### How can newer, more efficient, diversified approaches to forestry further your values or interests?
### What threats to your values and lifeways are occurring from the existing dynamics?
### How do threats from previous or potential wildfires impact your culture and lifeways?
### What opportunities, threats, or disadvantages do you see from a regional forestry strategy?
## Landowners
### Forest management
#### What are the primary land stewardship issues landowners face?
#### What quality of life goals do we want front and center in a regional forest-to-market approach?
#### What environmental concerns do we want to address in a regional forest-to-market approach?
#### What assistance is needed to relate to Alaska and federal government effectively?
##### What are the issues in accessing Alaskan and federal funds?
##### What are the management plan challenges?
##### What are the issues in assessing loss?
##### What are the issues in implementing fire recovery approaches?
##### How can we relate most productively with other landscape cooperatives?
#### What is the status of each landowner’s forest management plan?
#### What is the total forestry harvesting volume needed to be done annually?
#### How much new labor is needed?
#### What are the opportunities to establish shared equipment pools?
##### Burn wagons
##### Firewood processing gear
##### Trucks
##### Biochar production equipment
#### What are the opportunities to establish collective forest treatment contracts?
#### Which log roads need maintenance?
#### How do we better integrate stewardship of public and private lands?
##### Connect with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (ADNR) Division of Mining Land and Water
#### How can smaller landowners participate in this Action Plan?
#### How do we integrate federal recovery funding granted to individual landowners into a coherent strategy?
### Market development
#### What challenges identifying contractors need to be addressed?
##### Bonding and legitimacy of payroll protocols render many small contractors ineligible for government funding.
#### What challenges in identifying markets for materials need to be addressed?
#### For which forest materials have it proven easier to find contractors?
#### What issues with contractors need to be addressed?
#### What issues with processors need to be addressed?
#### What types and volumes of material need new local processing capacity?
#### Which forest material needs a costs-for-service agreement?
#### Where should new milling capacity be established?
#### What entity and organizational structure best supports this overall forest-to-market system?
##### What involvement of the large landowners should be considered?
###### Volume guarantees
###### Investment in facilities and infrastructure
###### Short-term advances against costs, then reimbursed by product supply
#### What concerns for privacy, confidentiality, and appropriate treatment of information need to be addressed within a collaborative planning process?
#### What education for landowners is needed?
#### How can we establish a fair and impartial process for timber valuation?
#### What elements comprise a productive and fair regional forest material “exchange”?
#### What is the condition and use of area wood-fired boiler systems?
### Fire prevention and mitigation
#### How can prescribed fire be used productively and safely as a management strategy?
##### How is fear of fire handicapping overall effectiveness?
##### How can we improve the process for obtaining burn and smoke permits?
##### How can we coordinate a regional fire management strategy?
###### How do each landowner’s priorities fit into the larger landscape approach?
#### How do we use geospatial information to guide fuel break locations and related strategies?
##### What are the optimal uses of fuel breaks within the overall forest management strategy?
##### What factors need to be incorporated into a fuel breaks strategy?
###### Where are the prevailing winds?
###### What is the optimal scale of prescribed burns?
###### What are the associated costs at various scales?
###### How can we best coordinate multi-landowner approaches to fuel breaks?
#### Where are the optimal locations to focus forest thinning activities?
### Burnt forest issues
#### What has to happen for soil and erosion control?
#### What can be done with the forest slash safely and viably?
#### What are the uses of burnt forest material?
#### What is needed to restore the roads?
#### What is needed to restore the acequias?
#### What is needed to restore the fences?
#### What is needed to restore the water system?
## '''What are the trespass issues that need to be addressed?'''
### ATVs
### Poaching for game
### Taking firewood
### Partying
### Vandalism
# '''Questions for individual landowners'''
## Is the high density of burned or unburned trees a severe challenge on your lands?
## What concerns do you have about how adjacent forests to your lands are managed?
## What harvesting activity are you doing now, and how?
## What is your on-staff and available contracting capacity for forest harvesting?
## How many acres would you treat if a viable approach were developed within this comprehensive forest-to-market strategy?
## In what timeframe do you want to have this acreage treated?
# '''State and federal forestry staff'''
## Administrative
### How does the U.S. Forest Service Planning Rule 2012 inform the local work?
### What Forest Plans have been completed?
### What other legal guidelines have to be recognized?
### What is the best way to coordinate with these plans and guidelines?
### What funding or other support opportunities can we tie into, and how can state and federal agencies assist?
### How do we assist Alaska and its and agencies in attaining funding and logistical support?
### What misinformation challenges you?
#### What information do you need to spread?
#### How can we use our networks at OTNA to inform and educate the public and decision-makers?
## Current efforts assessment
### What other large landscape and ecosystem planning efforts are underway?
### How can RE-FOREST collaborate with other forest conservation efforts?
### Specifically, which programs do you suggest building on, and what models do you suggest we emulate among local initiatives and national programs?
### What pitfalls should be avoided - what has worked and what has not?
### What can we learn from the experience of prior fire mitigation and recovery efforts?
#### How can ADNR Division of Forestry & Fire and the U.S. Forest Service improve their collaboration toward shared goals?
### What is the most appropriate balance between post-fire recovery and future fire mitigation?
### What assessments of existing industry barriers and needs have been completed, and when?
## Private land coordination
### How can private lands be served by Alaska and federal planning efforts?
### How can progress on private lands assist the overall forest management and stewardship goals?
### How can the USFS and ADNR Division of Forestry & Fire assist in the stewardship of private lands?
### How can we better synthesize public and private land stewardship?
# '''Forestry and forest products business leaders'''
## How can we improve how federal agencies handle forest material?
### Implement material bid process before harvesting so timber can be cut to suitable lengths.
#### FEMA, in post-fire situations, has little connection to forest companies and landowners and is chopping material into 4’-6’ pieces with limited utility.
## How do we level the playing field between large national and local contractors?
## How can we improve communications between the local forest industry and state and federal agencies?
### Close the timber sales promptly on state and private lands.
## What federal policies concerning forest management need to be re-evaluated?
### NEPA needs to be streamlined
### NEPA exception in devastated landscapes and Federal Disaster Zones
### Archaeological sites are already known and have typically already been damaged
### 1990 Roadless Act, passed during the Clinton administration, requires using main roads only
#### Carson National Forest and the Bridge Road area had 100,000+ latillas that could have been harvested in the aftermath of the 2022 Hermits Peak/Calf’s Canyon Fire, but for the closure of the roads
### They need to take a whole forest management approach
### The prohibition against salvage alongside forest treatment has to be removed
### The federal agencies that are involved in forest management, recreation, fire recovery, environmental issues, wildlife, and transportation aren’t coordinating
### Need equipment loans to cover operating capital, FSA loans are capped, stringent requirements, 150% collateral
## How can we improve communications and understanding with the environmental community?
### Recognize loggers as environmentalists.
## How can we improve how landowners relate to forest treatment and local logging and mill management?
### Need to address small landowners’ burned trees near their homes
### Communication and education
### Forest treatment for material contracts
### Utilize the logging and mill owners to educate the landowners and others
### Establish a local marketplace hub for pricing, supply, and offers on forest treatment services and material disposition
## What other challenges in doing your work do we want to address?
## What capacity increases would you like to be capitalized for?
### What shortcomings do you find in how banks relate to you?
#### Need new low-interest/reasonable-interest equipment loan fund
#### Banks don’t understand the non-equipment capital needs
#### Need a new source of collateral and guarantee
#### Need a method for valuing wood inventory
#### Need to be considered an ag industry
## In addition to capital, what else do you need to grow?
## What are the opportunities to share and coordinate equipment across your businesses?
## What are the opportunities to share and coordinate wood supply contacts and relationships across your businesses?
## What are the opportunities to coordinate forest activity across your businesses?
## What concerns about this cooperation do you want to make sure are addressed?
## What are your other concerns about the current system, and how can it be improved to better assist you in expanding your work?
## How can we address the need for more skilled labor, operators, and managers?
### Environmentalists have to stop stigmatizing logging
### Invite equipment providers like Ponsee to participate in training
## How can we address the need for additional employee housing in emergencies?
## How can state and federal financial and logistical support better serve your needs?
# '''Local public sector and community leaders'''
## How do fires impact your community and your work?
## What goals would your community want to see advanced from RE-FOREST?
## What concerns do you want to ensure are addressed in this Action Plan?
## What resource limits need to be addressed for this initiative to be successful? Potential issues include, but are not limited to:
### Housing
### Labor force
### Road capacity
### Transportation networks
### More effective and relevant state and federal support
## What adjustments to your current role or mission would enable you to focus more on long-term collective benefit?
# '''Environmental groups'''
## How do you define and conceive forest and watershed health?
## How does forest and watershed health impact your work and programmatic mission?
## How have fires impacted your mission and operations?
## What are the significant barriers to improving forest and watershed health?
## What are the significant opportunities for improving forest and watershed health?
## What concerns for the vitality of the environment, watersheds, and wildlife do you want to have a role in addressing within this forest-to-market strategy?
## How can your organization support a positive view of forest workers as environmental stewards?
# '''Foundations and philanthropists'''
## What forest and watershed issues are the most significant challenges?
## How have fires impacted your actions and role?
## What needs are not being addressed under the current system?
## What would help you make your work more effective?
## What resources can you provide to RE-FOREST, and what questions and guidance do you have toward applying those resources?
# '''New technology developers'''
## What technology could be productively included in this initiative?
## What is the current status of your technology and its deployment?
## What capital or support is needed to advance your technology?
## What forest materials' supply issues need to be addressed for your business to succeed?
# '''Foundational questions for all stakeholders'''
## What resources do you have in your control that may be helpful to this Initiative?
## What resources are you familiar with that you want to ensure we are aware of?
## What resources do you want assistance accessing?
## What is your vision for how the federal government, Alaksa, and the region should relate to this Initiative?
## Based on your understanding of this initiative, do you want the state and federal governments to embrace and support the project?
## How do you want to participate in the development of the RE-FOREST Action Plan?
## How do you want to participate in the implementation of the Action Plan?
## What is your political influence, and how can we activate that influence for the success of this initiative?
## Will you engage with RE-FOREST to make a case for this Action Plan with decision-makers?
## Will you contribute financially to this effort?
## Will you agree to this participation agreement?
### I promise to respond to the RE-FOREST emails or phone messages within 48 hours or sooner when time is crucial.
### I promise to invest up to 1-2 hours a week in reading and writing when requested so that my input effectively contributes to this effort.

=== Check out the next phase: [[RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska/Material Supply|Material Supply]] ===

RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska/Material Supply

2026-09-15T15:57:34Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

== Phase Two: '''Determining''' the Local and Regional Material Supply ==

=== Core Questions: ===

* What will a scaled-up, sustainable, and holistic treatment approach generate as accessible forest material for each value chain from each forest and region?
* What is needed to harvest and transport this material volume?

=== Dialogue Questions: ===
# '''What GIS map layers are needed to inform this opportunity?'''
## All forests
## Each forest harvesting volume by tree type and size, and ancillary material type and volume
## Local logging companies
## Timber product sorting facilities
## Wood product processors and mills
## Wood products manufacturers
## Roads, highways, rail sidings, lines, and yards
### Operating or potential for reactivation
## Container terminals and ports and their wood products capabilities
## Export fumigation facilities
## Transportation service providers
## Political jurisdictions, i.e., county and municipal borders
# '''What are the value streams to evaluate?'''
## Cants
## Lumber
## Wood Pellets
## Wood Chips
## Mulch
## Animal bedding/shavings
## Compost
## Firewood
## Vigas
## Specialty Wood Products
### Flooring
### Furniture
### Fence posts
## Treated Posts
## Latillas (Wood stays)
## OSB and other stranded material
### Oriented strand board
### Wood wool cement
### Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics
## Wood mass to biochar
## Wood mass to energy
## Secondary processing
## Recreation
## Ecosystem services
## Agriculture
### Grazing
### Water supply
## Fire mitigation
## Carbon credits
## Federal and state funding
# '''What are the silvicultural prescriptions and feedstock volumes?'''
## What is the current status of the Alaska's’s stand-based inventory?
## What entity owns and manages each forest stand, i.e., federal, state, county, tribal, or private?
## What types of trees and sizes, including species, age, health, stand structure, and photosynthetic activity?
## What are the slopes and aspects (direction)?
## What percentage of the forest is burned or likely to burn soon?
## What is the stand's current condition and its anticipated condition/deterioration over the coming months while harvesting activity can be scaled up?
## What cultural, ecological, and hydrological values need to be addressed?
## What is the current forest management plan for the entire forest, and is it current?
## What is the current forest management plan for each stand, and is it up to date?
## What activity is going on in each forest? What species are harvested? Who is currently harvesting each forest? How does each entity type approach its forestry management activities?
## Which stands are not being managed to meet the forest restoration goals, particularly overstocking?
## Where is the current forest composition relative to historic baseline conditions?
## What was the historic range of species variation, and how do we move closer to those conditions?
## What is the silvicultural prescription?
## What are the species, tree sizes, log volumes, and logging residues to be removed based on the silvicultural prescription?
## What quantity and type of byproducts (e.g., forest slash) are generated at each forest? Are they shipped, and if so, where and how?
## What quantity and type of waste products are generated at each forest, and how and where are they disposed of?
## What are the most significant unmet opportunities?
## What material and volumes from each stand need new market solutions?
## Which entities are best positioned to conduct the harvesting activities in each forest?
# '''How do the feedstock volumes add up at the regional level?'''
## How does each stand relate to other stands in the region so that the aggregate regional volume of common material is identified?
# '''How do in-forest logistics assets determine accessibility for harvesting?'''
## What are the roads in each forest stand, and what entity owns and maintains those roads?
## What are the legal guidelines for road use, construction, and maintenance?
## What are these roads’ conditions, how has fire damaged them, and how are they vulnerable?
## What work is needed on which roads for accessibility to treat forests?
## What are the seasonal characteristics of the availability of these roads?
## What are the characteristics of the critical infrastructure elements in the forest? What do we have? What’s missing?
## Where are new roads and cleared land needed to render forest material removal viable?
## Given the characteristics and regulations of the in-forest logistics, what percentage of the forest stands are physically accessible?
## What solutions do we want to develop to access more of the forest?
## Which entities are best positioned to conduct the transportation activities from each forest?
# '''What is the composition of the regional infrastructure for forest materials’ logistics?'''
## What is the region’s publicly accessible road network?
## What is the general condition of forest road access?
## What are these area roads' and bridges' weight, clearance, and safety restrictions?
## Where are the existing railroad main lines, branch lines, spur lines, sidings, and loading infrastructure?
## Where are the existing rail- and truck-served infrastructure assets for transload, distribution, and storage?
## Who owns each facility and network section, and what services and capacities do they have?
## Where can new truck and rail loading facilities enhance forestry operations and minimize transportation costs and impacts?
## Are these new developments commercially viable, or do they need public subsidization?
# '''What existing and new capacity is needed for short- and long-term harvesting?'''
## Which entities are best positioned to conduct harvesting activities in each forest?
## What new resources or support does each entity need?
# '''What are the performance characteristics and costs of available equipment types for harvesting, in-forest logistics, and regional transportation?'''
## What are the harvesting equipment choices?
## What are the transportation equipment choices?
### What are the specifications of the loaders and trucks that can be utilized in each stand in support of each material-removal activity?
### What are the equipment costs for each vehicle type?
### What is the status of diesel-alternative energy technology for each vehicle type?
## What new collaborative pooling of harvesting and transportation equipment improves the financial viability of scaled-up harvesting and logistics?

=== Check out the next phase: [[RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska/Logistics and Processing|Logistics and Processing]] ===

BrainTrust/Partners

2026-09-15T15:57:33Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

=Partners=
'''Individuals or organizations who choose to stand with OTNA in advancing the mission.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Partners
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabinije-von-gaffke-🧬-76713058 Sabinije von Gaffke]
|Super Human Network
|Founding Partner
|

|}

BrainTrust/Leaders

2026-09-15T15:57:32Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

=Subject Matter Experts=
'''Individuals who add insightful direction and key recommendations to Initiatives and IntelliConference Series.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Subject Matter Experts
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-parker-a190b4227/ Matt Parker]
|Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
|Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Railroad Workers United, Nevada
|22 years as freight railroad Conductor and Locomotive Engineer, Union officer, and lobbyist at Nevada Legislature.
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-gothreau-89038594/ Stephen Gothreau]
|Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (Member)
|BLET Member, Pennsylvania, Retired
|Labor Advisor, former locomotive engineer at Norfolk Southern
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuasoles/ Joshua Soles]
|Selkirk Consulting
|Senior Manager of Advanced Energy Innovation
|Expert in decarbonization & alternative energy solutions for railroads. Former BNSF Senior Manager for Energy Innovation
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-eckert-51715a6b/ Danielle Eckert]
|International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
|Railroad Division-Director
|Government Affairs
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/viarailsouth/ Dan Guido]
|VIA Rail Engineering
|CEO
|Industrial freight rail-design, operation, construction, inspection, and maintenance
|-
|[https://www.https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmkram/ Ryan Kram]
|SEI Bentonite
|Co-founder & COO
|Expert in logistics, supply chain, transportation, transload. Worldwide authority on Bentonite shipping
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/randy-carpenter-627b851/ Randy Carpenter]
|Cargo Flow Solutions
|Founder & President
|International/Domestic Cargo Transportation, Distribution and Supply Chain Logistics.
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-engelke-mba-dba-abd-01583598 Alexander Engelke]
|Hatch
|Principal-Rail
|Railroad financing, industrial development, railroad engineering, freight rail economics, railroad consulting
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-meyers-31881/ Jonathan Bob Rob Meyers]
|OnTrackNorthAmerica
|GIS Coordinator
|Technical and Strategic leadership for GIS within the OTNA Mission [[User:jmeyers@ontracknorthamerica.org|[Profile]]]
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-berry-6a7447142/ Michael Berry]
|High Desert Forest Solutions
|President
|Forestry Management. Transforming arid landscapes into sustainable ecosystems using permaculture, water harvesting, and native planting

|}
=Initiative and IntelliConference Series Leaders=
'''An entity or individual that has stepped into significant leadership of an Initiative.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Initiative and IntelliConference Series Leaders
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-bose-277aa1/ Amit Bose]
|Fusee
|VitalRail Co-Leader
|Former Administrator of the Federal Rail Administration

|}
=Champions=
'''Individuals who advocate for an approach, idea, and/or a new possibility.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Champions
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes

|}

BrainTrust/Sponsors

2026-09-15T15:57:30Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

= Industry Action Plan Sponsors =
'''Individuals or organizations that provide funding to produce an Industry Action Plan.'''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Industry Action Plan Sponsors
!Name
!Title
!Organization
!Read More
|-
|
|
|
|
|-
|
|
|
|
|-
|
|
|
|
|}

= IntelliConference Series Sponsors =
'''Individuals or organizations that provide funding to produce an IntelliConference Series.'''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+IntelliConference Series Sponsors
!Name
!Title
!Organization
!Read More
|-
|
|
|
|
|-
|
|
|
|
|-
|
|
|
|
|}

OnTrackAlaska

2026-09-15T15:57:29Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

OnTrackAlaska is a Geographic initiative of OTW. Its goal is to bring our Industrial Systems Initiatives to the state of Alaska.

== In-Progress Initiatives ==

* [[RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska|RE-FOREST Alaska]]
* EMIP Alaska

== Local Regions ==
* Aleutians East Borough
* Anchorage
* Bristol Bay Borough
* Denali Borough
* Fairbanks North Star Borough
* Haines Borough
* Juneau
* Kenai Peninsula Borough
* Ketchikan Gateway Borough
* Kodiak Island Borough
* Lake and Peninsula Borough
* Matanuska-Susitna Borough
* North Slope Borough
* Northwest Arctic Borough
* Petersburg Borough
* Sitka
* Skagway
* Unorganized Borough
* Wrangell
* Yakutat

VitalRail/VitalRail FAQs

2026-09-15T15:57:26Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

{{DISPLAYTITLE:VitalRail FAQs}}
'''How are VitalRail IntelliConference Series (ICs) different from other collaboration events? '''</br>VitalRail IntelliConference Series include stakeholders across industries, sectors, and work disciplines. OnTrackWorld/VitalRail IntelliConferences are iterative and ongoing. Our work always pursues the question, "Where is the breakthrough?” for understanding the current problem and what is next.

'''How will more opinions on the freight industry get anything done faster?'''</br>Our initiative approach brings together individuals and organizations actively involved in the industry and its impacts. We facilitate evidence-based discourse toward problem resolution. This approach emphasizes verifiable data and informed expertise rather than biases and assumptions.

'''What are IntelliConference Series and IntelliSynthesis?'''

Each goal and dialogue focused IntelliConference Series (ICs) occurs over a 4 to 6 month period. They include:

# a live three hour Kickoff event,
# a series of Exploratory IntelliConferences and IntelliSynthesis fact finding question and answer exchanges extending for a month to two months,
# a three hour Summary IntelliConference,
# then closing with an Action IntelliConference.

Staff ensure continuity and clarity within the series at all times by being in regular contact with participating stakeholders.

'''Who decides topics and content?'''<br>Subject matter experts, participants, and sponsors work with VitalRail organizers and facilitators to introduce IntelliConference Series topics and core Questions. Via IntelliSynthesis dialogues, these goal/dialogue areas are continually refined or spun-off into new goals.

'''What exactly do VitalRail organizers do?'''

Organizers conduct outreach and field inquiries to uncover rail subject matter experts, champions and scouts related to the specific goals being addressed by VitalRail. They enroll sponsors. They insure that all involved parties are getting value from VitalRail.

'''What exactly do VitalRail facilitators do?'''

Facilitators lead the VitalRail collaboration process within Exploratory IntelliConferences. During Exploratory IntelliConferences they use our IntelliSynthesis technology and methods to ask stakeholders written, well-conceived questions in order to uncover valuable input for goal progress. Facilitators analyze this input and synthesize it into topic and goal summaries posted into the Multilogue Record.

'''What exactly do VitalRail participating stakeholders do?'''

During the IntelliSynthesis process facilitators interact with stakeholders by presenting rounds of questions specific to finding breakthroughs within a goal. Stakeholders can reframe these questions or answer directly. Stakeholder input is the primary source of collective intelligence for uncovering new paths forward.

'''How do stakeholders track what is happening in the dialogue process?'''<br>The VitalRail Organizing and Facilitation Teams summarize stakeholder input and insert it into the VitalRail Multilogue Record. Summaries are hyperlinked to the collected evidentiary content. Through the Discussion Tab on each Multilogue page stakeholders can makes comments and ask more questions. Staff insert this additional input into the connected subject page.

'''I am busy; how do I keep up with progress on the subjects and goals?'''</br>Our site is a Wikipedia-like platform. Summary pages highlight the latest stakeholder interactions toward the stated goals. Staff facilitators and organizers are available to answer questions and clarify issues.

'''When will VitalRail events take place?'''</br>We will commence producing the first VitalRail IntelliConference Series in early 2026.

'''Where will the VitalRail events take place?'''</br>VitalRail IntelliConferences are conducted primarily asynchronously online, where you can input on your own schedule. Synchronous gatherings are convened on Zoom or in person to focus on specific conversations best addressed in real time.

'''Who are VitalRail’s producers?'''</br>VitalRail is a project of OnTrackWorld, an industrial planning and policy organization founded by Michael Sussman in 2007. OnTrackWorld informed by his team’s work at [https://strategicrail.com/ Strategic Rail Finance], which has advised infrastructure companies and public agencies on rail-related projects, systems, and economic development since 1994 in 44 U.S. States and three Canadian Provinces. OnTrackWorld’s autonomy is preserved by its Public Benefit Corporation (B Corp.) status, which dictates adherence to the B Corp. Ethics, including its first statement on '''Objectivity:''' OnTrackWorld does not accept financial sponsorships that require prioritization of individual business agendas over shared interests.

'''Aren't agencies, railroads, and trucking companies responsible for any changes in freight service?'''</br>Leaders of key organizations are doing their best to bring about a better freight system. Still, the effort takes more than folks in business and bureaucratic silos can advance. Real progress requires participation from ALL stakeholder sectors: government, community, business, funders, advocacy, labor, academia, culture, and industry media to ensure a viable system is built in a timely, cost-effective, and safe manner.

'''Who pays OTNA and VitalRail costs of doing this organizing work?'''</br>The original OTNA Initiative, VitalRail is seed funded our founder and future sponsors. [[Special:Contact|Contact us]] with any questions about funding.

'''How are anti-trust concerns addressed?'''</br>VitalRail interactions are informed by the 2020 [https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/public_events/joint-venture-hearings-antitrust-guidelines-collaboration-among-competitors/ftcdojguidelines-2.pdf Antitrust Guidelines for Collaborations among Competitors], issued by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. VitalRail goals can be achieved via non-proprietary information exchange.

Bridging the Rail Growth Capitalization Gap

2026-09-15T15:57:25Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Bridging the Rail Growth Capitalization Gap}}
===== '''Lessons from Three Decades of Capitalizing North America's Railroad Growth''' =====
'''by Michael Sussman, OTNA Founder'''

I have specialized in rail-related business solutions, with an emphasis on financing, since 1994. In those 30+ years, I have overseen the financial turnaround of rail operations by bridging gaps in understanding between rail companies, banks, and government funding agencies. By orchestrating collaborative private and public-sector funding structures, I have expanded access to growth capital for many rail companies, including the Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western, Iowa Interstate, Progressive Rail, Iowa Pacific, Laurinburg & Southern, and Iowa Northern.

In each case, I identify that railroad's unique characteristics and service, underscoring how that specific section of the rail network contributes to local, state, and regional vitality. I then create unique financial presentations that educate private and public funding entities about the underlying sources of stability and growth on which they can base expanded capitalization. I have also overseen the growth capitalization of rail suppliers, contractors, and service providers. As part of these efforts, I have advised the U.S. Congress, the Executive Branch, and state and local governments on rail finance.

Under contract with the Nevada DOT, I wrote the [[Nevada’s 2021 State Rail Plan|2021 Nevada State Rail Plan]], which established a public-private action plan to unlock unrealized rail infrastructure value across Nevada's industrial systems and economy. The [Https://ontracknorthamerica.org/images/e/ef/SRF-OTNA_New_Blueprint_for_Rail-Enabled_Economic_Development.pdf New Blueprint for Rail-Enabled Economic Development] distills this Nevada methodology into a model [[VitalRail: A Continental Freight Rail Growth Initiative|VitalRail]] now applies across the entire North American continent.

In 1995, I first stood alongside a General Motors diesel switcher locomotive with a client who told me its engine generated 1000 horsepower. I asked how an engine only 2.5 times the horsepower of the Oldsmobile 442 "muscle cars" of my youth was able to pull twenty or more fully loaded railcars. He explained that steel wheels gliding on steel rails create very little friction, enabling the engine's horsepower to be efficiently transferred into the train's pulling power. I was immediately struck by the realization that railroads, with energy efficiency at their core, were significantly undercapitalized by lenders and investors, and underappreciated by shippers, citizens, and elected leaders.

'''Historical Context and Industry Opportunity'''

This experience prompted me to conduct an extensive study of the North American rail industry. By 1924, the U.S. rail network reached a peak of 254,000 miles, which was one of the main reasons why capital had flowed into North America from around the world during the preceding century. But the network has steadily declined to less than 140,000 miles, leaving trucks as the only surface freight option for nearly 80% of American towns.

Understanding why and how our society has evolved to drive capital toward highways and trucks, a less efficient mode of land freight transportation, tells us everything we need to know to revive freight rail service in North America.

Railroads continue to serve the nation much more than most people realize. As an economically and environmentally preferable solution to transporting massive amounts of raw materials and finished goods, our rail industry has withstood the test of time. It is an essential element in North America's economic and social well-being. Railroads will continue to operate for decades. However, to contribute to growth and lasting improvement, we must broaden the availability of capital and financing for new rail infrastructure, loading facilities, and equipment.

Lenders have misunderstood and underserved the North American railroad industry as a lending marketplace for decades. In the aftermath of U.S. bank deregulation in the 1980s, many local banks moved commercial lending to their regional or national offices. Very few of these banks retained lending officers with rail expertise. The few banks still interested in rail finance refocused on the largest transactions, which were primarily earmarked for equipment rather than projects. Ironically, at the same time, the Staggers Act of 1980 significantly deregulated the U.S. rail industry, which led to the expansion of regional and local shortline railroads—from 190 in 1980 to 600 in 2000.

By 1994, most local lenders had lost touch with railroads' contribution to their marketplace, and minimum loan thresholds had increased to $5 million. This produced a profoundly unhelpful situation for railroads and society. It is vastly easier for a young person to borrow money to buy a backhoe than for a seasoned rail operator to finance a locomotive, even though a locomotive’s longer useful life and more stable market value make it far more secure as collateral.

The banking community during the 1990s shifted almost entirely away from lending for rolling stock purchases. Operating leases, where lenders and leasing companies retain asset ownership, became an embedded feature of the rail industry. Local rail operators no longer benefited financially from the use or maintenance of these long-lived, income producing assets.

As the industry has evolved during the 45 years since the enactment of the Staggers Act, the remaining rail lenders have not adapted to the needs of the Shortline railroad entities, which are characterized by smaller transactions, unique financial statement elements, and used equipment. And with limited capital availability for customers’ rail-loading facilities and equipment, the path to increased rail service includes a significant funding challenge.

Options were further limited by the 1997 termination of the highly successful USDOT Local Rail Freight Assistance program for small loans. The subsequently instituted Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program (RRIF) lacked a simplified application process for smaller loans.

Interestingly, though smaller railroads and rail shipper projects are often short on funding options, they have a long record of financial reliability and creditworthiness. In 2016, my research revealed that state DOT revolving loan programs and the Small Business Administration had previously approved 692 rail project loans, totaling $419,448,052, over the prior 20 years. Of these, only three resulted in a default of their obligation.

Shortline railroads handle 50% of all rail shipments but account for only 10% of all rail revenue. This statistic underscores the productivity of Class II regional and Class III shortline railroads. Railroad owners are brilliant at working with limited capital. Still, many owners have had to preserve their limited capital by leasing their rail lines, rolling stock, and property. As a result of the limited ownership and equity gain from asset appreciation, many operators have lacked access to the significant growth capital required for new facilities, property, equipment, personnel, and market development.

This gap presents a significant opportunity to increase the capacity of our freight rail system. We can gain a significant return by placing more equipment and development funding into the hands of local rail management, transload operators, and shippers. Doing so will produce economic value. Focusing first on the remaining independent shortlines, which private equity groups do not own, will allow them to own rather than rent their equipment via operating leases. They invest too much of their resources in maintaining these units not to reap the benefits.

'''Case Study: Iowa Interstate Railroad Financial Innovation'''

In 1996, the owners of Iowa Interstate Railroad engaged me to find a means of saving a close-to-expiring $10.5 million net operating loss carryforward. They also needed additional capital to upgrade track. Even experienced railroad leaders require outside-the-box thinking to fund their growth plans.

I began by studying everything about their financials and history. The key financial statement item that caught my attention was a $3.5 million loan Iowa Interstate had received from the state of Iowa that had been retained on the railroad's financial statements as a long-term liability. In studying the loan documentation, I read that the loan was 100% forgivable once a Maytag manufacturing plant for which a rail line was funded and constructed, completed ten years of operation. With that knowledge in hand, we were able to convince their accountants to shift this $3.5 million from a long-term liability to a contingent liability, significantly improving the company's Current Ratio and financial statements.

I then discovered that Archer-Daniels-Midland, Iowa Interstate's largest customer, had acquired a 3% stock option alongside its recent purchase of 48% of Iowa Interstate stock. Due to two Class I railroads merging in the mid-1990s, ADM was concerned that they could be left with only Union Pacific service. Therefore, they wanted the ability to gain a controlling interest in Iowa Interstate, if service or freight rates became an issue with Union Pacific. This was a Eureka moment. I directed my client to ask ADM to guarantee the new financing because, with such a significant commitment already, they would undoubtedly want to maintain Iowa Interstate's track and service quality by guaranteeing the new funding. With ADM's guarantee in hand, I knew we could attract a New York bank to do a $13.5 million sale-leaseback of Iowa Interstate's 550 miles of track and right-of-way. Track upgrade was able to proceed, and this innovative solution saved the entire net loss carryforward and provided the needed growth capital.

'''Advancing Rail Growth Capitalization'''

Rail finance requires understanding each railroad or project in its own light. It defies cookie-cutter approaches. The lack of this focus is a key reason why railroads and rail projects, particularly the smaller ones, have been undercapitalized. As a networked system, the entire rail network will be able to grow from capitalization of local branch lines as well as higher-volume trunk lines. That is why VitalRail illuminates the value and potential of every mile and foot of track, whether active or inactive.

EMIP/Essential Mineral Logistics

2026-09-15T15:57:24Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Essential Mineral Logistics}}
{{Inquiry header
|series=EMIP
|series page=EMIP
|phase=Inquiry
|round=1
|rounds=2
|closes=TBD
|question=What end-to-end mineral systems can stakeholders envision that maximize efficiency and profitability through strategic facility placement and intelligent material movement?
|responses=TBD
|participants=TBD
|synthesis=TBD
}}

== Background statement ==
North American mineral supply chains are inefficient, reducing profitability and sustainability, because they have been developed as independent projects with little coordination among the different stages. For an industry that requires moving large volumes of heavy materials to and from mines, processing plants, and manufacturing facilities, it is striking how much of this movement relies on trucks. In Nevada, where mining is the second-largest industry, less than 4% of these materials are transported by rail, and less than a quarter of one percent move by rail between in-state mines and processing facilities.

== Round One: Assessing production and marketplace logistics ==
{{Round|Round One: Assessing production and marketplace logistics|state=open|note=Open for response. Producers, carriers, processors, and economic developers each see a different part of this.}}

# For which minerals are we aiming to improve logistics? {{Q|Round One Q1}}
# What volume and location data on the relevant mineral production is available and helpful to our thinking? {{Q|Round One Q2}}
# What volume and location data on the relevant mineral consumption is available and helpful to our thinking? {{Q|Round One Q3}}
# What level of GIS mapping of the facilities and data would be helpful? {{Q|Round One Q4}}
# What are the volumes and locations of each essential mineral supply chain component for production, processing, and consumption? {{Q|Round One Q5}}
# What share of mineral transportation moves by truck versus rail, and what are the volumes? {{Q|Round One Q6}}
# What logistics services are provided to the components of the essential minerals supply chains, and what are the gaps and shortcomings of those services? {{Q|Round One Q7}}
# What concerns for the transportation of minerals, ores, and products must be addressed? {{Q|Round One Q8}}
# What new mining, production, and processing locations are in construction or on the drawing board? {{Q|Round One Q9}}
# What role can location play, both of individual mines and facilities and of their relation to each other, in creating efficient mineral supply chains? {{Q|Round One Q10}}
# What areas of the market for sourcing or distributing minerals are difficult to access because of logistics dynamics? {{Q|Round One Q11}}
# What industrial growth opportunities from reshoring and reindustrialization need specific transportation improvements? {{Q|Round One Q12}}
# What market expansion opportunities would benefit from logistics improvements? {{Q|Round One Q13}}
# Which import opportunities need new logistics approaches? {{Q|Round One Q14}}
# Which export opportunities need new logistics approaches? {{Q|Round One Q15}}

== Round Two: Redesigning production and marketplace logistics ==
{{Round|Round Two: Redesigning production and marketplace logistics|state=upcoming|note=Opens once the Round One picture is complete enough to design against.}}

# How can we address the needed transportation logistics improvements? {{Q|Round Two Q1}}

== Related inquiries in this series ==
* [[EMIP/Essential Minerals Alignment|Alignment]] — which minerals are essential, and in what volumes
* [[EMIP/Essential Minerals Environmental|Environmental]] — full lifecycle impacts and community alignment
* [[EMIP/Essential Minerals Regulatory Excellence|Regulatory Excellence]]
* [[EMIP/Essential Minerals Capitalization|Capitalization]]

{{Page CTA|headline=If you move minerals, you know something this inquiry needs.|body=Volumes, routes, bottlenecks, a facility that should have been sited elsewhere. Any of it is a complete Round One response.|label=Respond to Round 1|target=EMIP/Essential Mineral Logistics}}

Multilogue Library

2026-09-15T15:57:23Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Multilogue Library}}
{{Record header|updated=September 2026|steward=OnTrackWorld facilitation team}}

The Multilogue Library is the shared stock of reusable questions, framings, and hooks that OnTrackWorld and its clients draw on to guide an inquiry. A multilogue is one worked inquiry inside an IntelliConference, both the process and what it leaves behind. The Library is what makes the next one faster than the last.

Every question here has been used in a real convening. Take them, adapt them, and send back what you learn.

== Why a library ==
No one has time to read long white papers on this work. Stakeholders need summaries linked to the evidence behind them, much as an encyclopedia links facts. The Multilogue Record is the accumulated result across all inquiries; the Library is the front end of it, organized so that a facilitator opening a new inquiry does not start from a blank page.

== Organized by the Solution-Driven Research spine ==
The five stages below organize the Library. Most inquiries move through them in order, though a given round may sit in more than one.

===== Purpose =====
Questions that establish why a group is convening at all, and what would count as progress. ''Why are we in this room? What would have to be true a year from now for this to have been worth doing?''

===== Conception =====
Questions that open the problem before anyone proposes a solution. ''What is actually happening here? Whose account of it are we missing?''

===== Design =====
Questions that turn a shared picture into options. ''What would a system look like that served all of these interests at once?''

===== Implementation =====
Questions that convert options into commitments. ''Who does what, by when, and what would tell us it is working?''

===== Dissemination =====
Questions about carrying the result outward. ''Who else needs this, and in what form will they actually use it?''

== Reusable framings ==
Framings that have transferred well across industries and regions.

* '''The stakeholder completeness question.''' ''Which stakeholder groups should be included to ensure a robust gathering of all perspectives?'' Asked first, and asked again after every round, because the answer changes.
* '''The intent pair.''' ''What does each party intend to gain? What does each party intend to deliver?'' Asked of the same actor, in that order.
* '''The outdated-rule sweep.''' ''Which rules are counterproductive, redundant, inconsequential, or improvable, and how?'' Portable to any regulated industry.
* '''The mode-share reality check.''' ''What share moves by truck versus rail, and what are the volumes?'' A question that reliably surprises the room.
* '''The unavoidable-harm question.''' ''When harmful impacts are unavoidable for a supply chain activity, how do we mitigate them?'' Keeps environmental discussion out of yes-or-no debate.
* '''The lessons question.''' ''What lessons from past attempts help illuminate our thinking now?'' Opens the past without relitigating it.

== Templates in use ==
* [[RE-FOREST/IntelliSynthesis Templates|RE-FOREST IntelliSynthesis templates]] — background, stakeholders, material supply, logistics and processing
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Rail Regulatory Excellence|Rail Regulatory Excellence]] — the regulatory sweep, in full
* [[EMIP]] — five linked inquiries sharing one stakeholder map

== Propose an inquiry ==
Stakeholders bring questions to OnTrackWorld as well as answering them. To propose one, describe:

# '''The question.''' One sentence, phrased as a question, not a topic. See [[IntelliSynthesis]] on why this matters.
# '''Who has to be in the room.''' The stakeholder groups whose absence would make the answer wrong.
# '''What already exists.''' Reports, plans, data, prior attempts.
# '''What would change''' if the group reached an answer.

Send it through [[Special:Contact|Contact Us]] or raise it on this page's Discussion tab. Proposals are reviewed by the facilitation team and, where a principal and roster come together, opened as an IntelliConference.

== Related ==
* [[IntelliSynthesis]] — the method, including the art of question design
* [[IntelliConferences]] — the inquiries currently open
* [[Multilogue Records]]

{{Page CTA|headline=Bring a question.|body=The Library grows when someone brings a question their industry has never been able to work through.|label=Propose an inquiry|target=Multilogue Library#propose-an-inquiry}}

Collaborative Industrial Optimization

2026-09-15T15:57:21Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

What is now commonly called “supply chain optimization” is constricted by its narrow focus, limited to individual company logistics. Consequently, neither the marketplace nor the public sector have been able to design infrastructure for efficient industrial systems.

<strong>Collaborative Industrial Optimization (CIO)</strong> reconceives planning and investment to serve entire corridors, regions, and industries. For example, critical minerals production can be redesigned as an “industrial system” encompassing mining supplies, mines, processing, factories, customers, recycling, waste, and logistics between each step.

This can be applied to forestry and wood products, aggregates, glass, the food chain, and all other industrial systems. The CIO approach facilitates the necessary collaboration among shippers, transportation providers, and other stakeholders within a broader design framework than is afforded by traditional marketplace interactions. It enables public and private sector stakeholders to integrate knowledge about natural resources, business plans, freight data, land use, logistics, and economic development into productive, sustainable systems. We need to think and plan entire industrial systems so that both commercial and public investments solve problems and generate new efficiencies, rather than just moving more stuff faster.

= History/Background =
Early rail lines in 19th-century North America were envisioned as part of expansive supply chains, '''from interior resources to coastal cities, from mine to factory, and from farm to table.''' Before individual local projects were conceived and built, an entire corridor or region was envisioned as an industrial system. Contrast that with 2008 at the height of North America’s ethanol-production boom. Hundreds of billions in investment capital poured into the ethanol industry to fund individual “competing” projects. Unit train loading facilities, for example, were consequently built without matching unit train receiving facilities. Ethanol production skyrocketed while the ad hoc transportation and distribution system remained inadequate.

When closely examining infrastructure development across the continent, it's shocking how often a project's full potential is wasted because one party limits the design to serve only their business interests. This is not usually due to malicious intent. The reality is more innocent, but just as damaging; '''no entity or business is at the helm, guiding industry and infrastructure''' to serve multiple opportunities for shippers and society.

'''Of the 138 warehouses''' built in recent years in Western Nevada, '''only one uses rail''', even though they are all on or near a rail line. These distribution centers are essentially there to serve California’s market. This results in high-volume back-and-forth truck traffic on the same roads as commuters and tourists. A similar dynamic is found between each coastal state and its inland counterparts, as well as within metropolitan areas throughout the continent. In these densely populated regions, where collaboration among stakeholders could yield the ''greatest'' benefits, we often see the ''least'' collaboration.

Today, Southern Nevada biofuel producers receive feedstock by truck from the San Pedro Bay area. Then, they truck the product back to consumers in Southern California through populated areas in both states, rather than using energy-efficient railroads available for these movements at the origin and destination. Meanwhile, this inefficient commerce is rewarded with California Low Carbon Fuel Standard Credits.

= Our Work =
In 2019, OTNA, as subcontractor to its for-profit consulting firm, Strategic Rail Finance, was engaged to complete a plan for rail development in the state of Nevada to address these issues. During our work creating the 2021 [[Nevada State Rail Plan]], we were struck by the opportunity of a Mining Materials Logistics Strategy to bring commercial benefits to the state’s mining companies, suppliers, and customers. This collaborative approach to mining’s inputs and outputs would justify new and enhanced rail infrastructure and services that benefit other industries, the community, and the mining industry. <strong>This can be done for all industrial systems.</strong>

Some will claim that <strong>Collaborative Industrial Optimization</strong> demands more trust and cooperation than our competitive economic system can sustain. From our experience providing this level of collaboration throughout North America, we know nearly everyone embraces it. We are confident that stakeholders are more than ready to work together.
<h1>Key Distinctions of Collaborative Industrial Optimization</h1>
======<u>Industrial Systems Do Not Begin or End at Political Boundaries</u>======
Supply chains extend across county, state, regional, and national borders. Needed improvements flow from collaborating with entities throughout the supply chain.
======<u>Plan Whole Supply Chains, Not Just Projects</u>======
Infrastructure investments that support whole systems rather than one-off projects deliver meaningful advantages to a region, and its businesses and investors.
======<u>Projects of Local Significance</u>======
There aren’t “Projects of National Significance” without many “Projects of Local Significance.”
======<u>Including All Perspectives Makes Progress Easier, Not Harder</u>======
Contrary to the prevailing belief that including all concerns and views is too complex, 360° inclusion of businesses, communities, and projects boosts the productivity of infrastructure plans and investments.
======<u>Plans Are for Action</u>======
We can no longer invest in the type of “plans” that sit ignored on government shelves and hard drives. Plans must be designed for implementation from the outset.
======<u>Stakeholders Are Partners, Not Survey Respondents</u>======
Stakeholder engagement is often conducted superficially as if it is only a bureaucratic requirement. Effective investments result from honest conversations and co-creation among stakeholders.
======<u>Rail and Roads Are One System</u>======
It is unproductive to pit highway, air, pipeline, and railway transport modes against each other in public policy or the marketplace.
======<u>Freight Analysis Must Include Truck Data, Even in Rail Plans</u>======
Truck shipment data provides critical visibility into the bulk of a region’s industrial activity, illuminating the path toward an ideal truck-rail balance.
======<u>The Right Tools Make the Right Data Actionable</u>======
Raw data is one level of usefulness; data made accessible and applicable is another. CIO’s tools enable stakeholders to use freight data for plan implementation and business development.
======<u>Integrate Freight Planning with Economic Development</u>======
Transportation departments and economic development agencies work in silos on matters that co-influence industrial system productivity. CIO integrates these efforts into regional strategies.
======<u>Freight Transportation is Inseparable from Land Use Planning</u>======
Effective land-use planning can optimize economic development and minimize the impact of goods movement. Smart land use is as much about how goods move to and from a property as what happens on the property.
======<u>Brownfield Asset Redevelopment Is Fundamental</u>======
Previous and existing industrial assets, including land, loading facilities, transportation connections, storage, shuttered plants and buildings, and utilities, are keys to our future industrial systems.
======<u>Capital Is Available for All Well-Conceived Projects</u>======
Now holding hundreds of billions of dollars, infrastructure investors and lenders worldwide are poised to deploy capital for industrial and freight projects in North America. They need OTNA's plans.

<h1>Moving Forward</h1>
Consider how investment in communities and industries is ''commonly'' structured; investments are conceived so that the investor withdraws the benefits of the efficiencies that that capital makes available as narrowly and quickly as possible, with limited sharing. Moving forward, we must restructure investments to ensure the benefits percolate and synergize among all stakeholder groups. Then, out of the enrichment of the system and the community, one makes one’s return on investment. This reorientation makes all the difference in creating the profound, long-lasting change our challenges urgently require.

EMIP

2026-09-15T15:57:20Z

CNeiss: Sync from ontrackworld.com (production) -- exact content, automated pull

{{DISPLAYTITLE: EMIP: Essential Minerals Industrial Planning}}

== Introduction ==
'''Reshoring, reindustrialization, and population growth are driving unprecedented demand for continental mineral production.''' The industry can meet this moment by integrating environmental stewardship with economic opportunity from mine to market—making efficiency and sustainability a competitive advantage. This requires whole systems planning that accounts for full lifecycle environmental and economic impacts. It also requires transportation infrastructure that leverages rail's efficiency for heavy mineral movements. This '''Essential Minerals Industrial Planning''' convenes stakeholders to plan entire mineral supply chains, including:
* Essential mineral companies;
* Mineral supply and service companies;
* Rail, truck, barge, and ocean carriers, and;
* The industries and communities they serve.

== The Essential Minerals IntelliConferences ==
Previously, rational idea generation and problem-solving concerning mineral production, use, and logistics have been almost impossible. Existing forums and methods for stakeholder engagement rely on competitive debate at best, creating barriers to honest communication and consensus-building. A new way for stakeholders to engage is needed.

'''Essential Minerals Industrial Planning provides the forum this industry has lacked.''' The IntelliConference Series brings together mineral producers, supply and service companies, transportation providers, and affected communities to solve shared challenges through collaboration rather than competition.

=Essential Minerals Alignment IntelliConference=
==Background Statement: ==
The key to progress beyond long-standing mining conflicts is establishing a shared understanding of what truly qualifies as "essential minerals." Citizens, environmental advocates, and their elected leaders will rally around a realistic essential minerals surge, if conducted consciously and respectfully of their concerns and well-being.

==Core Question:==
Which minerals are essential to support North America's decarbonization, electrification, and reindustrialization?

==Round One: Determining Essential Minerals==
#What factors do we apply to determining which minerals are “essential?”
#What factors do we apply to determine how much of each mineral we need and want?
#What volumes of mineral supply are needed to support the clean energy transition?
#What essential minerals are required to support North America's reshoring and reindustrialization?
#What are the current volumes of each essential mineral supply?
#What are the current locations of each essential mineral supply?
#Which minerals have been determined to have a limited supply globally and therefore need to be conserved or addressed in some way?
#Where do we need additional essential minerals and at what volumes?

=Essential Minerals Environmental IntelliConference=
==Background Statement==
Mineral extraction and processing require heavy industrial activity that affects natural environments and community quality of life. Balancing economic necessity with environmental stewardship requires systematic analysis of where and how we produce essential minerals. Mineral producers benefit from shorter, less contentious permitting timelines. Communities benefit from more thoughtful siting and operational practices that minimize impacts.

==Core Questions:==
What are the full environmental and community impacts of mineral production at each step in the supply chain? How can stakeholders interact most effectively to support the mutual benefits of mineral production and quality of life? Where does reducing consumption offer viable impact reduction?

==Round One: Assessing Environmental Impact==
#What environmental concerns do we want to address in how minerals are mined?
#What environmental concerns do we want to address in how minerals are processed?
#What environmental concerns do we want to address in how minerals are used and recycled?
#How do we best assess the environmental impacts of each step in each mineral's supply chain?
#What are the opportunities for more sustainable production of each essential mineral?
#What factors have to be addressed for mineral companies to use Best Available Technology throughout the life of the mine?
#Which minerals have been determined to have a limited supply globally and therefore need to be conserved or addressed in some way?
#When harmful environmental impacts are deemed unavoidable for a supply chain activity, how do we mitigate them?
#Which minerals are candidates for reduced production due to disproportionate environmental harm from extraction or use?
#What has to happen to accommodate reducing the consumption of individual minerals when deemed necessary?
== Round Two: Aligning with Communities ==

#What community concerns must be effectively addressed?
#How can potential health risks to communities be mitigated?
#What steps can be taken to minimize or eliminate aesthetic degradation?
#How can communities maintain their sense of "place attachment?"
#What approaches enable citizens to accurately assess risk?
#How can mining companies relate productively with communities and community leaders?
##How can mineral companies increase openness and transparency?
##What approaches build community support for responsible mining operations?
##What steps must be taken to communicate anticipated environmental impacts with transparency and trust?
##How can mining companies and community leaders agree on development implications and responsibilities?
##How can mining companies and community leaders develop a "Community Benefits Agreement?"
##What decision-making protocols have been used effectively?
#What steps can mitigate citizens' concerns around mine and facility closures?
=Essential Mineral Logistics IntelliConference=
==Background:==
Our current mineral supply chains in North America are inefficient, reducing profitability and sustainability, because they have been developed as independent projects with little coordination among the different stages. For an industry that requires moving large volumes of heavy materials to and from mines, processing plants, and manufacturing facilities, it is shocking how much of this movement relies on trucks. In Nevada, where mining is the second-largest industry, less than 4% of these materials are transported by rail, and less than a quarter of one percent move by rail between in-state mines and processing facilities.

==Core Question:==
What end-to-end mineral systems can stakeholders envision that maximize efficiency and profitability through strategic facility placement and intelligent material movement?

==Round One: Assessing Production and Marketplace Logistics ==
#For which minerals are we aiming to improve logistics?
#What volume and location data on the relevant mineral production is available and helpful to our thinking?
#What volume and location data on the relevant mineral consumption is available and helpful to our thinking?
#What level of GIS mapping of the facilities and data would be helpful?
#What are the volumes and locations of each essential mineral supply chain component for production, processing, and consumption?
#What share of mineral transportation moves by truck versus rail, and what are the volumes?
#What logistics services are provided to the components of the essential minerals supply chains?
##What are the gaps and shortcomings of these services?
#What concerns for the transportation of minerals, ores, and products must be addressed?
#What new mining, production, and processing locations are in construction or on the drawing board?
#What role can location play, both of individual mines and facilities, and their relation to each other, in creating efficient mineral supply chains?
#What areas of the market for sourcing or distributing minerals are challenging to access due to logistics dynamics?
#What industrial growth opportunities from re-shoring and reindustrialization need specific transportation improvements?
#What market expansion opportunities would benefit from logistics improvements?
#Which import opportunities need new logistics approaches?
#Which export opportunities need new logistics approaches?
==Round Two: Redesigning Production and Marketplace Logistics ==
#How can we address the needed transportation logistics improvements?
=Essential Minerals Regulatory Excellence IntelliConference=
==Background Statement==
Regulations and permitting processes have evolved incrementally over decades, often without adequate coordination among public and private stakeholders. The result is a framework that can impede both environmental protection and legitimate industrial development. Smarter, more collaborative approaches to regulation can better serve public interests while enabling responsible mineral production.

==Core Question:==
Which regulations governing essential mineral production are outdated, redundant, or counterproductive, and how can they be improved or replaced to better protect public safety while enabling responsible development?

==Round One: Policy and Regulation==
#Which federal laws regulate mining?
#Which federal agencies might be enrolled in participating and supporting this initiative?
#Which state and local agencies might be enrolled in participating and supporting this initiative?
#What are the concerns of the government agencies that interact with the mineral industry?
#What policy and regulatory issues are essential mineral companies concerned with?
#What policy solutions will support the development of increased processing capacity?
#What industry practices do regulatory agencies seek to strengthen?
#What antitrust and other laws and regulations must be amended to accommodate more robust collaboration with and among the private sector?
#What regulations governing essential mineral supply chains need to be improved, replaced, or eliminated, and how?
#How can permitting processes be streamlined while maintaining environmental and safety protections?
=Essential Minerals Capitalization IntelliConference=
==Background:==
New opportunities for mineral businesses to expand their operations will result from these new supply chain efficiencies, improved relations with communities and government. These improvements create systematic investment opportunities that can attract substantial private capital.

==Core Question:==
What is the optimal approach to the deployment of new investment capital for essential minerals infrastructure, operations, and growth from these supply chain improvements?

== Round One: Current State & Barriers ==

# How do Wall Street and private equity investors currently view the mineral industry?
# What barriers currently prevent adequate capital investment in essential mineral supply chains?
# What specific risk factors make mineral projects difficult to finance under current conditions?

== Round Two: Investor Requirements & Perspectives ==

# What return profiles, timelines, and risk parameters do different types of investors require?
# What ESG criteria do institutional investors apply to mineral sector investments?
# What level of transparency and data do investors need to commit capital?

== Round Three: Capital Needs by Type ==

# What are the distinct capital needs for mining operations, processing facilities, and transportation infrastructure?
# Which elements of the essential minerals supply chain need equity investment versus debt financing?
# What infrastructure investments require public-private partnerships or government support?
# What role can rail infrastructure investment play in enabling mineral supply chain efficiency?

== Round Four: Opportunity Assessment ==

# What commercial and economic development opportunities emerge from integrated mineral supply chain planning?
# What opportunities for expanded investment does whole-systems redesign generate?
# What new market opportunities justify capital deployment in mineral supply chains?

== Round Five: Risk Mitigation & Returns ==

# How does the whole-systems approach reduce investment risk compared to isolated projects?
# How do improved community relations and streamlined permitting affect project bankability?
# What exit strategies and liquidity options exist for different types of mineral sector investments?
# What mechanisms and structures can ensure reliable returns for infrastructure investors?

== Round Six: Measurement & Execution ==

# What goals and measures are needed to support the capitalization of these opportunities?
# What financial modeling and projection tools would help investors evaluate systematic mineral supply chain investments?
# How can stakeholders create investment-grade project documentation that meets institutional capital requirements?

IntelliConferences

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Typical conferences draw hundreds of people who listen passively to speakers and their PowerPoint presentations. Even when hallway and dinner conversations are lively, the energy fades by the time participants start their next workday.

OnTrackWorld’s IntelliConferences® bring together stakeholders, online and in person, for efficient discussions that harness collective intelligence, resulting in improved solutions, better-informed decisions, and effective action.

=== Efficient, Effective Engagement ===
IntelliConferences present a path-breaking approach to small- and large-group dialogue that greatly reduces participants’ time commitment while increasing the impact and satisfaction of the interaction. This approach is driven by our inquiry-based method for dialogue and thinking called [[IntelliSynthesis|IntelliSynthesis®]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Traditional Processes ❌
!IntelliConferences ✅
|-
|'''Fixed meeting schedules''' require participants to travel or go online at pre-determined times.
|'''Asynchronous flexibility''' allows participants to read and respond on their own schedules, from wherever they are.
|-
|'''Inadequate facilitation''' results in chaotic banter or polite, unproductive conversation that leaves essential questions unanswered.
|'''Call and response''' is initiated by the facilitation team, who language the dialogue agenda as questions, rather than phrases.
|-
|'''Participants are expected to read''' what everyone has written, wasting valuable time.
|'''The facilitation team summarizes''' each rounds’ input, saving participants time and stimulating enthusiastic participation and real results.
|-
|'''Participation is spotty''' with a majority of the input coming from the loudest few.
|'''Participation is robust''' driven by a set of reasonable agreements signed by each participant at registration, with adherence tracked and cheered.
|-
|'''Squabbles and entrenched positions''' flare up when participants are forced to respond directly to previous posts.
|'''The facilitation team identifies outlier perspectives''' that may be highly valuable or reflect an issue that must be resolved for the engagement to advance.
|-
|'''Sharing some views can be risky''' if forced to do so publicly.
|'''Anonymity''' is an option wherein participants can choose public or private on all or some of their input.
|}

==== Current IntelliConferences ====

* The foundational [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences|VitalRail IntelliConferences]]
* [[RE-FOREST/IntelliSynthesis Templates|RE-FOREST]], Sustainable Forestry and Wood Products
* [[EMIP]], Essential Minerals Industrial Planning

Methodologies

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Each methodology described here amplifies stakeholder thinking and generates transformative results in essential areas of industrial activity. All of OnTrackWorld's work utilizes [[IntelliSynthesis]]'''®''', a uniquely accessible, inquiry-based methodology for thinking intelligently about problems, opportunities, and whole systems.

== Industrial Systems ==

* [[Collaborative Industrial Optimization|<big>Collaborative Industrial Optimization</big>]]
* [[Media:SRF-OTNA New Blueprint for Rail-Enabled Economic Development.pdf|<big>New Blueprint for Rail-Enabled Economic Development (PDF)</big>]]

== Land Use and Development ==

* [[Industrial Land Value Optimization|<big>Industrial Land Value Optimization</big>]]
* [[Rail-Enabled Rural Economic Development|<big>Rail-Enabled Rural Economic Development</big>]]

== Financial Capital ==

* <big>[[Bridging the Rail Growth Capitalization Gap]]</big>

== Human Capital ==

* <big>[[IntelliSynthesis]]</big>
* <big>[[IntelliConferences]]</big>
* [[360° Stakeholder Mapping|<big>360° Stakeholder Mapping</big>]]

== Academic Research ==

* [[Solution-Driven Research Guided by IntelliSynthesis|<big>Solution-Driven Research Guided by IntelliSynthesis</big>]]

== Supply Chain Data ==

* [[360° Freight Market Intelligence|<big>360° Freight Market Intelligence</big>]]

Participation Options

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:What Role Can You Play with OTW?}}
If you think its is time for real change join us! This is a team sport. We're advancing the world's industrial systems through stakeholder dialogue, [[Collaborative Industrial Optimization]], and in-the-field action. That requires diverse expertise and perspectives. Here's how you can contribute:

= Roles =
Use our show_join to express your interest in any of these roles!

Interested in Volunteering with us? Use this form instead! show_volunteer
====== Visitor ======

* Access all public content
* Contact us with questions or feedback
* Explore our resources and research

====== Member ======

* Everything Visitors can do, plus:
* Comment and ask questions in the Discussion Tabs on any page
* Observe IntelliConferences and Initiatives
* Regular updates on proceedings and relevant articles
* Receive the OTW Moves monthly in depth newsletter on our progress
* $50 quarterly membership fee, scholarships available
* Additional quarterly contributions are greatly appreciated, and will be recognized on our website.

====== Participating Stakeholder ======

* Membership required
* Direct participation in IntelliConferences and Initiatives
* Access to working groups and specialized content
* Leaders and Subject Matter Experts welcomed: Ability to provide expert input on relevant topics

====== Sponsor ======

* Underwrite an [[Industrial Systems Initiatives|Industrial Systems Initiative]] or an IntelliConference Series
* Partnership opportunities for organizations
* Strategic alignment with OTW's mission
* Brand visibility and networking opportunities

====== Volunteer ======

* Participate as an ongoing team member
* Access to the site as a member of our volunteer team

= OTW Activities You Can Help Advance =

====== State and Provincial Rail-Enabled Economic Development Plans ======
Comprehensive [[:File:New-Blueprint-for-Rail-Enabled-Economc-Development-Online-PDF-Format-4.pdf|industrial development strategies]] tailored to each jurisdiction's unique needs and opportunities.

====== Industrial Systems Initiatives ======
Whole industrial systems progress for critical sectors such as [[RE-STEM|essential minerals]] and [[RE-FOREST|forestry and wood products]].

====== [[IntelliConferences]] ======
Our large-group, inquiry-based methodology for convening stakeholders on specific topics to identify challenges, create solutions, and advance breakthrough opportunities.

====== OnTrackWorld Organizational Planning and Development ======
Work with OnTrackWorld to develop our various activities.

= Commitment to Ethics =
OTW maintains ethical standards that ensure all participants can contribute on equal footing. All Participating Stakeholders and Sponsors are required to:

# Review our [[Founder's Statement]] and [https://sign.ontracknorthamerica.org OTNA Promise Statement]
# Digitally sign the Promise Statement to confirm agreement
# You will receive email confirmation of the signed commitment

Our Promise Statement supports transparency, accountability, and mutual respect among all participants.

Principles

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{{DISPLAYTITLE: Promise, Ethics, and Principles}}
= Promise Statement and Your Invitation =
OnTrackWorld leads the global community in redesigning its industrial systems for long-term sustainability. We promise that by April 22, 2030, collaboration and coordination for the sustainable well-being of all will be the fundamental operating principle of civilization. You are invited to the team. To express your commitment to these ideals, sign our [https://sign.ontracknorthamerica.org/ '''<u>Promise Statement</u>'''].

= Ethics =

====== Objectivity ======
OnTrackWorld does not accept financial sponsorships that require prioritizing individual business agendas over shared interests. This pledge to remain impartial, regardless of the source or size of financial support from any individual or entity, has been upheld for thirty years and will continue.

====== Inclusivity ======
OnTrackWorld facilitates “level playing field” dialogues inviting representation and perspectives from all involved stakeholder groups. Inclusivity is fundamental to our planning approach, and we welcome all regions and projects of any size.

====== Nonpartisanship ======
OnTrackWorld maintains the autonomy of a politically non-partisan entity.

====== Sustainability ======
We hold ourselves accountable to future generations by working only on projects that align with a sustainable environment and healthy communities. We believe return-on-investment analyses should account for all environmental and community impacts while acknowledging that some projects generate a degree of unavoidable negative impact. We support investments that advance the transition from the overuse of fossil fuels, petrochemicals, and water, while acknowledging the real-world challenges on the journey to a cleaner economy. We guide our clients and communities to align their planning and investment horizons with the sensible evolution of these markets.

'''There are four steps to evaluating every project for alignment with these values and goals.'''

# We catalog each project’s commodities, activities, and impacts.
# We conduct thorough research to gain an understanding of all environmental and community impacts.
# We share our findings with the team and stakeholders to invite all perspectives.
# Together, we decide how to influence the project’s sustainability properly.

= Principles for Collaboration =

====== Collaboration and Coordination ======
OTW supports thoughtful collaboration and coordination in balance with helpful competition. It is commonly believed that including many stakeholders hinders progress. In fact, incorporating all perspectives leads to smarter solutions, policies, and plans that are more effective, widely adopted, and implemented.

====== Assume Responsibility ======
We are responsible for the quality of our relationships. In each conversation, we relate in ways that advance mutual learning by recognizing the strengths and perspectives of others.

====== Be Accountable ======
Only make promises you intend to keep. Include a completion time. Initially, we may encounter barriers to accomplishing new tasks. We only encounter challenges because of our commitment, not a lack of commitment. Stay in the game!

====== Engage in Integrative Dialogue ======
Integrative dialogue transcends conventional debate, where either/or and right/wrong interactions marginalize many valuable perspectives. We work together to synergize and foster new understandings, especially when seemingly opposing points of view are expressed.

====== Ask Questions ======
Asking questions when writing and speaking opens up new thinking and fosters new ideas. While statements tend to portray concerns as intractable problems, asking questions immediately orients us toward solutions.

====== Thrive at the Edge of Learning ======
What we are doing is unprecedented and requires us to continually learn and adapt. External change happens when we expand our receptiveness to new ideas. Bring it on!

====== Embrace Knowledge Sharing ======
Share rather than withhold information, ideas, and wisdom to create a world that works for everyone. Sharing accelerates productivity. It is time to scale up our collective intelligence.

====== Celebrate and Energize ======
Leaning into positivity is vitally important to any concerted effort. We value each other’s participation and communicate our appreciation.

====== Lead from Community ======
Initiatives succeed when strong leadership stewards the community’s best interests and stands for results. We advise project developers to interact proactively with community leaders as influential partners.

====== Embrace Whole-System Thinking ======
OnTrackWorld champions programs, policies, and planning that advance system-wide benefits and multimodal transportation.

====== Step into IntelliSynthesis® ======
IntelliSynthesis is the logic and intelligence all around us, but so often hidden from view by posturing, positioning, and politicizing. When we engage with others in the community’s best interest, collective intelligence naturally moves us toward solutions that work for everyone.

'''<big>[https://sign.ontracknorthamerica.org Sign the Promise Statement!]</big>'''

RE-FOREST

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:RE-Forest: Sustainable Forestry and Wood Products}}The North American forest management and wood products sector is caught in a destructive cycle. Past forest management practices, fluctuating demand for wood products, poor environmental practices, and the decline in the number of operational mills and railroads have created overstocked, high-density forest stands. Consequently, the wood products industry struggles to access steady supplies of quality timber. These issues threaten the economic stability and well-being of forest-based communities. Moreover, increased stand densities create higher fuel loads and ladder fuels, causing larger and more severe wildfires that further reduce available timber resources. Breaking this cycle requires understanding what healthy forests and wood products businesses actually need.

Healthy forests maintain ecological balance through natural processes including fire, disease, and succession. Effective forest management works with these processes rather than suppressing them. When we align human use with natural forest dynamics, we achieve both ecological health and economic productivity.

'''A continent-wide forest-to-market strategy''' can restore forest health while strengthening forest economies. Mill viability and comprehensive forest management both require the right logistics: trucks for local delivery, rail for moving excess material to distant markets. This integrated approach, linking harvesting, logistics, processing, and manufacturing will revitalize forest economies while generating revenue streams that fund restoration and watershed health.

'''RE-Forest, the Sustainable Forestry and Wood Products Initiative''', facilitates federal and state agencies, forest businesses, and local communities in establishing an intelligent continental strategy, applied regionally and locally. With complete consideration of resource availability, marketplace dynamics, and end-to-end value chains, stakeholders can develop effective Action Plans for each level of forest, business, and community ecosystem.

== Ongoing Initiatives ==

* [[RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Pennsylvania|<big>RE-FOREST Pennsylvania</big>]]
* [[RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Alaska|<big>RE-FOREST Alaska</big>]]

== IntelliSynthesis Templates ==

* [[RE-FOREST/IntelliSynthesis Templates/Background|Background]] - These are the foundational questions for North America in general that can then be applied to each region.
* [[RE-FOREST/IntelliSynthesis Templates/Stakeholders|Stakeholders]] - These questions elicit local knowledge and stakeholder information.
* [[RE-FOREST/IntelliSynthesis Templates/Material Supply|Material Supply]] - This round illuminates healthy forest treatment prescriptions and consequent material supply.
* [[RE-FOREST/IntelliSynthesis Templates/Logistics and Processing|Logistics and Processing]] - These questions pinpoint current and needed logistics and processing capacities and opportunities.

Understandings

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'''During an extremely up-close examination of the state of industry, governance, and planning in North America, we present the global community these following understandings that inform a path forward for all.'''

* [[Founder's Statement|<u><big>Founder's Statement: Hear from Michael Sussman</big></u>]]
* [[Collaboration Will Take Us Where Competition Can’t|<u><big>Collaboration Will Take Us Where Competition Can’t</big></u>]]

VitalRail

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:VitalRail Hub}}
'''VitalRail expands freight rail service across North America's industrial systems and communities.'''

Rail is irreplaceable for moving heavy weight efficiently over land—no technological alternative exists. Our continent's economic and environmental sustainability depends on dramatically expanded rail service. This expansion demands collaboration across companies, communities, and sectors.

VitalRail orchestrates that collaboration.

'''VitalRail works in six essential areas:'''

# '''Citizen and community education''' on the benefits of rail transportation
# '''Rail-enabled economic development training''' for economic developers, landowners, and developers
# '''Growth capital''' for rail-served industrial systems and projects
# '''Rail-centered industrial development initiatives''' for states and provinces
# '''Rail integration strategy''' for supply chains, facilities, and operations
# '''Collaborative resolution of long-standing barriers''' through IntelliConferences (listed below)

Together, these initiatives remove barriers and accelerate rail expansion.

'''<big>[[Participation Options|Participate in VitalRail]] | [[VitalRail/About|About VitalRail]]</big>'''

== The VitalRail IntelliConferences ==
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Merger|Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Merger]]
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Rail Growth Capitalization|Rail Growth Capitalization]]
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Rail Regulatory Excellence|Rail Regulatory Excellence]]
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Rail Business Culture Transformation|Rail Business Culture]]
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Rail Management – Rail Labor|Rail Management – Rail Labor]]
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Containerized International Freight|Containerized International Freight]]
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Revitalizing the Rail Carload System|Rail Carload System Revitalization]]
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Rail Energy Efficiency|Rail Energy Efficiency]]
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Freight Transportation Land Use|Freight Transportation Land Use]]
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Rail Technology Adoption|Rail Technology Adoption]]
* [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Rail-Truck Coordination|Rail-Truck Coordination]]

== See More ==

* [[VitalRail/About|About VitalRail]]
* [[VitalRail/VitalRail Stakeholders|VitalRail 360° Stakeholder Map]]
* [[Bridging the Rail Growth Capitalization Gap]]
* [[VitalRail Opportunity Memo]]

VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Merger

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Merger IntelliConference}}
* '''[[VitalRail/Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Merger IntelliConference/Updates|Updates]]''' Latest developments in this IntelliConference.
* '''[[Private:Finance Calendar|Calendar]]''' IntelliConference schedule.
* '''[[Private:Finance BrainTrust|BrainTrust]]''' Participating Stakeholders in this IntelliConference. Join the [[BrainTrust]]!
* '''[[Resources]]''' Supporting documents and information for this IntelliConference.

=Background Statement=
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern propose an $85 billion merger to create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad, projecting $2.75 billion in annual benefits and savings from improved supply chain efficiency, faster transit times, and modal shift from road to rail. Past large rail mergers have yielded inconsistent results, but the industry as a whole has significant growth opportunities. The transaction is subject to review by the Surface Transportation Board amid concerns from stakeholders about reduced competition, monopolistic pricing, safety, and workforce relations. This is the time to synthesize stakeholder input, inform the regulatory process, or explore collaborative alternatives.

= Background Documents =

* [[The UP-NS Merger: Recalibrating America's Rail Infrastructure]]

=Core Questions=
What is the full range of rail stakeholder concerns and opportunities, and how can the UP-NS merger be designed to optimally serve railroads, employees, customers, communities, and investors? When all is considered, is the most productive path forward a well-conceived merger or another concept that better serves stakeholders?

==Phase One: Establishing the foundation==

# Which stakeholder groups should be included in this IntelliConference to ensure a robust gathering of all perspectives and insights? To date, we have included shippers, employees, local communities, sustainability advocates, Class II and III railroads, carload transloaders, investors, and Class I railroads.
# How can stakeholder-centric governance be encouraged through the merger process to ensure comprehensive representation?
# What do Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern intend to gain for themselves and their investors by this merger?
# What do Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern intend to deliver to shippers and communities by this merger?
# What lessons from past mergers help illuminate and inform our thinking about this merger?
# What past shortcomings in the regulatory approval process have we seen that can be improved?
# Which corridors, communities, shippers, and receivers are in danger of experiencing rail line abandonments or service degradation?
# What actions can be considered to prevent adverse effects on pricing resulting from monopolistic conditions in key freight corridors?
# What existing shortcomings and gaps in rail service generally need addressing?
# How will the merger affect competition and coordination between rail and trucking in the intermodal arena?
# How might this merger affect future rail consolidation?

==Phase Two: Clarifying Stakeholder Concerns and Opportunities==

# What concerns does each stakeholder group have regarding this potential merger, i.e., shippers, employees, local communities, sustainability advocates, Class II and III railroads, carload transloaders, investors, and Class I railroads?
# What opportunities does the proposed merger offer each stakeholder group, and how can the merger be guided to achieve them?
# These two questions will be applied to each stakeholder group below, as well as other questions brought to the IC by Participating Stakeholders.

'''Rail Freight Customers:'''
# What potential impacts does the proposed merger have on competition and market structure, and how might that influence the shipping community?
# How can efficiency gains translate into lower shipping costs for customers, not just benefit shareholders?
# How will faster transit times and improved connectivity benefit different types of shippers?
# What is the timeline for realizing these efficiency improvements?

'''Employees:'''
# How many jobs does UP-NS anticipate eliminating through consolidation, and in which regions?
# How will the merger impact crew scheduling, fatigue management, and safety protocols?
# How will the merger affect union representation and collective bargaining power?

'''Local Communities:'''
# Which regions will benefit most from improved rail connectivity?
# How will rural areas and small towns benefit?
# How will the potential closures of redundant facilities affect local communities and rural areas?

'''Sustainability Advocates:'''
# Which UP & NS facility and service changes from this merger increase train and truck traffic and possibly impact local air quality?
# What other negative impacts might the various outcomes of this merger have on local and global environmental quality?
# What improvements might this merger make on environmental conditions, locally and globally?

'''Class II and III Railroads:'''
# Which Class I practices limit your ability to expand rail services to existing or potential rail customers?
# What do you want the Class I railroads to implement to enhance your business growth and customer service efforts?

'''Carload Transloaders:'''
# Which Class I practices limit your ability to expand rail services to existing or potential rail customers?
# What do you want the Class I railroads to implement to enhance your business growth and customer service efforts?

'''Investors:'''
# How should the need for long-term investment be balanced with expectations for short-term financial returns and sustainable growth?
# See [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Rail Growth Capitalization|Rail Growth Capitalization IntelliConference]] to engage in this critical dialogue more deeply.

'''Class I Railroads:'''
# What capacity constraints and service disruptions are anticipated during integration?
# What infrastructure investments are needed to deliver promised improvements?
==Phase Three: Addressing Stakeholder Concerns and Opportunities==

'''Rail Freight Customers:'''
# How can we ensure operational integration reduces interchange delays and enhances efficiency, while preserving regional service diversity and access for all shippers?
# How can the integration process be implemented to maintain service reliability during the transition period?
# Are there specific routes or services that should require divestiture to maintain competition?
# How can rate regulation prevent abuse of increased market power?
# How can reciprocal switching and joint access requirements be used to preserve competitive balance?

'''Employees:'''
# What retraining and transition support should be provided to displaced workers?
# How can workforce safety concerns be adequately addressed?
# What actions can be taken to prevent workforce reductions from compromising safety standards and maintenance practices?
# What oversight mechanisms will ensure safety standards are maintained during integration?

'''Local Communities:'''
# What measures can mitigate adverse impacts on railroad-dependent communities?

'''Sustainability Advocates:'''
# What Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics need to be considered in the merger evaluation?
# How can ESG metrics be incorporated into Class I railroad quarterly reports?
# How can regional and community impact reporting be incorporated into Class I railroad annual reports?

'''Class II and III Railroads:'''
# What do UP-NS agree to implement to support your business growth and customer service efforts?

'''Carload Transloaders:'''
# What do UP-NS agree to implement to support carload transloaders' business growth and customer service efforts?

'''Investors:'''
# See the [[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Rail Growth Capitalization|Rail Growth Capitalization IntelliConference]] to contribute to this critical dialogue.

'''Class I Railroads:'''
# How can the merged network handle increased traffic volumes without service degradation?
# How can the operational "meltdowns" of past mergers be avoided?
# What specific operational practices should be implemented to optimize flow, reduce congestion, and improve fuel utilization across the network?
# What are the key steps that must be taken to accelerate technology and infrastructure modernization?
## How can the deployment of AI-driven logistics platforms to forecast demand, dynamically allocate assets, and enhance real-time cargo tracking be advanced?
## How can real-time cargo tracking systems improve visibility across the network, enhance supply chain predictability, and improve customer service?
## What investments are needed in intermodal hubs to seamlessly integrate rail, truck, and port logistics, stimulating more efficient multimodal transportation solutions?
## What actions can be taken to encourage the electrification of selected routes?
## What actions must be taken to encourage the deployment of zero-emission locomotives?
## What steps should be taken to encourage the implementation of smart yard automation technologies?
==Phase Four: Supporting an Effective Merger Implementation==

What enhancements would enable transparency, tracking, review, and performance?
# As the foundation of ensuring promised benefits materialize, what categories of performance standards capture all stakeholders' concerns?
## Within each category, what specific performance standards point to the desired outcomes?
## What enforcement mechanisms are needed for each standard?
# How should regulatory oversight evolve to monitor the merged entity's market behavior?
# What actions can be taken to institute economic impact dashboards and the publication of periodic reports documenting the merger effects on job creation, trade, and infrastructure improvements?
## At the local level?
## At the system level?
# What enforcement mechanisms are needed if the merger fails to deliver public benefits?

IntelliSynthesis

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== What is IntelliSynthesis? ==
There is an enormous amount of untapped logic and intelligence all around us, within us, and in others—often hidden by posturing, positioning, or politicizing. When people explore together, for their mutual benefit, unencumbered by narrow self-interest, this practical intelligence flows.

The inquiry-based process we've named IntelliSynthesis is a disciplined approach for applying this intelligence, whether thinking alone or with others. Working individually, you can use it to think through a problem by asking yourself thoughtful questions and synthesizing your own responses. Working collectively, it applies this intelligence to issues or opportunities that benefit from broader input—by asking thoughtful questions of a group, then synthesizing their responses into solutions, next steps, or new questions. When everyone affected by a problem participates in creating solutions, breakthrough intelligence emerges that no individual or narrow group could generate alone.

This method has proven effective in countless engagements across our work—from developing a forest-to-market strategy in New Mexico that revitalizes forests and communities, to assisting Nevada stakeholders in creating the most comprehensive, holistic state freight transportation plan in the country.

IntelliSynthesis applies to realtime or asyncronous discussions, in-person or online.

=== Why is IntelliSynthesis needed? ===
We've engaged with over 11,000 stakeholders across North America's industrial systems, communities, and government. What we've observed consistently: bright individuals advocating narrow approaches, motivated by competitive advantage or fear of losing it, collectively producing suboptimal results—including for themselves.

Three obstacles prevent breakthrough solutions:

'''Institutional barriers:''' Laws and regulations shaped by competition prevent the collaboration that delivers results.

'''Distance instead of dialogue''': Government, industry, and citizens interact through commissions, hearings, studies, and reports—while real results come from dialogue, agreements, commitments, and action plans.

'''Wasteful design''': Meetings that invite stakeholders at large to attend general-subject discussions exhaust participants and communities.

The issue isn't lack of intelligence, expertise, or desire to solve problems. What's scarce are forums and methods that develop solutions without being derailed by excessive competition, mistrust, and vested interests.

IntelliSynthesis is available to everyone willing to look beyond personal interests to achieve shared benefits. It requires including all stakeholder perspectives within a system—not just the powerful or convenient ones. When you involve everyone impacted by a problem or opportunity, you establish approaches that are implemented and effective.

This isn't naïve optimism. It's essential: we can't ensure safety for ourselves and future generations without fundamentally shifting how we approach problems and opportunities.

=== Core Principles ===
IntelliSynthesis operates from these fundamental orientations:

'''Create from the future, not the past.''' A critical shift occurs when participants move beyond data and pessimism from the past to create from the future. When you turn your vision forward, free of predetermined conclusions, you become present and open. Collective intelligence emerges. New possibilities, solutions, and opportunities appear that weren't accessible when everyone was defending positions shaped by yesterday's constraints.

'''Every contribution matters.''' The real opportunity in dialogue is to discover together what no one knew alone—and this requires capturing what's expressed. Almost every word someone says contains value. Write it down. Draw out the reserved and humble voices and capture their contributions alongside the confident ones. New connections, understandings, and ideas appear when dialogue reveals a wide view of what's present.

'''Intelligence through alignment.''' Higher intelligence emerges when people align their thinking with interests beyond their own. IntelliSynthesis in business, industry, or governance grows stronger as it incorporates local community interests—and stronger still when it extends to the long-term well-being of all humanity and the natural world. The more you include, the smarter everyone becomes.

=== The Inclusion Paradox ===
Here's what we've learned that runs counter to conventional wisdom: including all individual perspectives and concerns doesn't make consensus more difficult—it makes progress easier and faster. The more stakeholders and perspectives you identify and involve, the greater the return from each person's investment of time. Whole-system solutions arise that no individual or narrow group could have conceived.

The cost of ignoring this principle reveals itself in unexpected ways. A middle school demolished a beloved playground to build a classroom addition without consulting the students who had played there since they were five. The outdoor stage where they held performances, the walkway with family acknowledgments carved into bricks—all gone. A 12-year-old later explained that these meaningful elements could have been preserved, transferred, or repurposed if anyone had asked. How much community connection was lost by failing to include those who knew the space best? How much heart and soul could have been preserved by spending an hour listening to the students who used that space every day?

Stakeholders rarely begin with shared interests. But through IntelliSynthesis, the most effective solutions emerge by weaving everyone's needs, concerns, and opportunities into genuinely common ground. In the middle school example, including students wouldn't have slowed the building project—it would have created a better design that preserved community meaning while meeting institutional needs. This is the inclusion paradox in action: more voices, better solutions, faster implementation.

== How to Use IntelliSynthesis ==

=== Start with Questions ===
The foundation of IntelliSynthesis rests on a simple but powerful insight: the way you frame a discussion determines the thinking it generates. Conducting meetings using an agenda written as phrases, or "topics" leads to competing opinions, complaints, and debates about known problems. Structuring dialogues around thoughtfully crafted complete questions immediately transforms problems into challenges to be solved. Instead of 'Environmental Impacts' as a topic, ask: "What are all the possible positive impacts of industrial activity that we want to optimize by generating as few negative costs?" Agenda items stated as phrases orient discussions toward the past and what is already known. Questions open pathways to breakthrough thinking.

Before convening stakeholders, you generally gather and review relevant existing materials—such as reports, financial statements, studies, and news articles—not only to find potential answers but also to identify gaps, shortcomings, and questions. What is missing from previous approaches? What perspectives were not included? What assumptions went unexamined? What questions were never asked?

Based on this review, draft the initial dialogue agenda as a series of questions, not topic phrases. This may seem like a small change, but it makes a big difference in practice. Most of us are trained to organize meetings around topics like "Budget Review," "Stakeholder Engagement," and "Timeline Discussion." IntelliSynthesis requires turning each of these topics into actual questions: "What funding amount enables the outcomes we're committed to achieving?" "Which stakeholders must participate for this work to succeed?" "What timeline and steps allow for genuine collaboration rather than rushing to predictable dead ends?" Notice how each question opens possibility.

=== The Art of Question Design ===
The questions themselves matter enormously. A yes/no question shuts down further thinking; an open question encourages exploration. "Should we expand rail service to rural communities?" leads to a yes or no debate. "How might expanding rail service transform economic opportunities in rural communities?" promotes collective thinking.

Questions should follow a logical order. Some questions need to be answered first so you can effectively address later ones. You might need to understand current conditions before imagining future options or clarify goals before discussing methods.

=== The Dialogue Unfolds ===
When stakeholders gather in real time, whether on Zoom or in person, something different happens with IntelliSynthesis than in typical meetings. Instead of presentations followed by discussion, or worse, back-and-forth debate among the loudest voices, the facilitator displays the inquiry-based dialogue agenda on screen and invites participants to speak to the questions.

Here's where the magic happens: the facilitator captures almost every word in real time, visible to everyone. Not summary notes or paraphrased minutes, but the actual substance of what people say, typed directly into the document under the relevant question. IntelliSynthesis allows groups to think together. Collective intelligence is revealed and agreed upon in real-time as discussions unfold. This does several things simultaneously.

'''First, it slows the conversation down.''' The facilitator often needs to interrupt speakers—not to silence them, but to ensure their thinking is accurately captured. "Hold on, let me make sure I have this right..." This interruption is respectful, not disruptive. It signals that every contribution matters enough to be recorded precisely.

'''Second, it transforms the nature of participation.''' When people see their words appearing on screen in real time, they think more carefully about what they're saying. The stream-of-consciousness that characterizes typical meetings—people talking quickly, hoping someone catches the key points—gives way to more intentional articulation.

'''Third, it enables collective intelligence gathering.''' Someone makes a point, it gets captured, and the next speaker can build on it directly because everyone can see it. Ideas connect and synthesize in ways that verbal back-and-forth alone rarely achieves.

'''Fourth, participants' reflections get captured as additional questions''' rather than rushing to premature answers. Someone might say, "Before we can answer that, we'd need to understand..." The facilitator converts that into a new question and adds it to the agenda. The dialogue document grows organically, guided by the group's emerging collective intelligence.

Meeting notes, therefore, rather than reading as the disjointed record of the cacophony of typical discussions, become the clear, substantive record of collective thinking. This method turns standard meeting minutes into an inspiring, coherent record of the group's thinking, decisions, and action plans.

This dialogue and facilitation approach is applied to OnTrackNorthAmerica IntelliConferences, which occur as rounds of questions, primarily conducted asyncronously as an extended online call-and-response.

=== Between Sessions: Synthesis and Refinement ===
After each dialogue session, the important work of synthesis begins. The facilitator reviews the document, editing for clarity, sometimes reordering questions based on logical flow that emerged during discussion, consolidating similar points, and identifying where consensus is forming and where genuine differences remain.

This edited document serves as the foundation for the next round of dialogue. It is not a vague snapshot of the meeting; it is a dynamic, clear record of collective thinking that even non-attendees can use to understand exactly what was discussed. Participants can review it between sessions, add written reflections, and identify what should be explored next.

For complex initiatives, this process might unfold over weeks or months, with multiple rounds of dialogue—some synchronous (live meetings), some asynchronous (participants contributing on their own schedules). The key is that everyone remains engaged with the same evolving document and questions, building collective intelligence round by round.

=== Truth-Telling and Whole Systems Thinking ===
Throughout this process, the facilitation team creates space for what typically doesn't get said. Environmental realities like water shortages or pollution impacts. Financial instability. The acknowledgment that past approaches created current problems.

This requires establishing safety—that every perspective is useful and that critique of past decisions isn't an attack on the people who made them. When a 12-year-old can say, "There's always money for buildings, not books or teacher salaries," and that observation gets captured and engaged rather than dismissed, you know IntelliSynthesis is working.

The facilitator helps the group take the dialogue beyond political concerns, multi-agency unworkability, or vested-interest domination. IntelliSynthesis works when participants let go of these constraints and think about whole systems and a new future. When groups think and speak beyond traditional silos and fears, breakthrough solutions appear.

=== From Dialogue to Action ===
Eventually, the dialogue document evolves from questions into answers, from exploration into commitments, from collective thinking into action plans. This happens organically. The document that began as a series of questions becomes a comprehensive record of what the group collectively understands, what they've agreed to, and what each stakeholder commits to doing, and when.

This action planning document is the solution set agreed upon by all stakeholders. It functions simultaneously as the meeting record, the strategic plan, the implementation guide, and the accountability framework.

=== What Makes This Work ===
IntelliSynthesis naturally creates what it needs to succeed. Someone steps forward to convene and facilitate—drawn by the opportunity to create genuine collaborative space. Participants engage beyond narrow self-interest because the process makes mutual and community benefit tangible and achievable. The discipline of capturing thinking in an organized manner emerges from experiencing how this practice honors contributions and builds collective intelligence. Patience with emergence develops as participants discover that solutions synthesized from diverse perspectives serve everyone better than forced predetermined outcomes.

Trust builds through the process itself. Participants experience being truly heard, see their perspectives captured and valued, and watch the group synthesize diverse views into integrated solutions. This lived experience creates trust both in the process and among participants, as a natural outcome.

The time investment pays immediate dividends. While initial dialogue takes longer than quick decisions by small groups, those quick decisions typically fail, face resistance, require endless revision, and ultimately consume far more time than this collaborative process. IntelliSynthesis accesses intelligence that no individual or narrow group could generate alone by involving everyone impacted by a problem or opportunity. The solutions last because all stakeholders create and implement them together—they're invested in success because they built it.

'''''This is IntelliSynthesis in practice.'''''

VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Rail Regulatory Excellence

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rail Regulatory Excellence IntelliConference}}

* '''[[VitalRail/Rail Regulatory Excellence IntelliConference/Updates|Updates]]''' Latest developments in this IntelliConference.
* '''[[Private:Finance Calendar|Calendar]]''' IntelliConference schedule.
* '''[[Private:Finance BrainTrust|BrainTrust]]''' Participating Stakeholders in this IntelliConference. Join the [[BrainTrust]]!
* '''[[Resources]]''' Supporting documents and information for this IntelliConference.

=Background Statement=
Regulations are typically developed in response to specific events and experiences. Over time, regulations can become detached from their original purpose, creating unintended systemic consequences and stakeholder frustration. Efforts to improve regulations are often complicated by industries and companies advocating solely for their self-interests. Achieving urgent safety, productivity, financial, and environmental goals requires a comprehensive set of recommendations, objectively informed by all perspectives.

=Core question=
What are the regulations that stakeholders can agree on are either outdated, trivial, redundant, or counterproductive, and can be improved or replaced in support of sustainable growth, railway safety, and improved service?

==Round One: Completing the Framework==

# In addition to the following, what other areas do regulations apply to owning and operating railroads?
## Financial reporting
## Service reporting
## Licenses and permits
## Employee Management
## Train Operations
## Maintenance of right-of-way
## Taxes
## Insurance and liability
## Locomotive emissions
## Rolling stock design/equipment requirements
## Inspection, track, and rolling stock
## Equipment supplier country of origin
## Cybersecurity
## National security/DoD functions
## Common carrier responsibilities(e.g., must haul high-risk, high-liability hazmat commodities)
## Interchange rules (e.g., receiving railroads are responsible for safe railcar conditions)
## Environmental impact
# In each regulatory area, what regulations:
## Are counterproductive?
## Are redundant, and is another regulation or procedure handling the issue?
## Should be eliminated because the issue they target is inconsequential?
## Should be improved in some way?
### How?
## Have a positive impact that is outweighed by the costs?
## Impact customers’ shipping mode decisions in a way that is counterproductive to the overall policy goal?
# What activities or relationships need new regulations to be optimally realized? Examples:
## Railcar defect detection
## Trackage defect detection
## Train control safety technology (e.g., electronically controlled braking, positive train control II)
## Directed service
## Degree of inter- and intra-modal competition
## Reciprocal switching

==Round Two: Identifying Impacted Parties and Establishing Measures==

# For each of the regulations identified in Round One: Who are the impacted parties?
## What data measures have been used to spotlight the need for that regulation?
## What data have been used to quantify the benefits of each regulation for each impacted party?
## How is the cost of implementing a regulation allocated and funded relative to each impacted party?

==Round Three: Developing Regulations that Fit==

# How do we need to think about regulations to fit various characteristics of rail operations best?
## Which regulations governing larger railroads require adjustment for smaller railroads?
## Which regulations should be further distinguished for line haul routes of varying characteristics? Examples:
### Federal Railroad Administration track classification levels
### Lines that host passenger trains
### Lines that host hazardous commodities
### Traffic levels by tonnage or train frequency
### Service quality metrics (train velocity, re-crew rates, estimated time of arrival failures)
## Which regulations should be further distinguished for different terminals and railyards? Examples:
### Degree of automated operations
### Degree of automated inspection capability
### Provision of yard air
### Local service quality metrics (switching volume, terminal dwell, first-mile/last-mile failure rate)
# What regulations should be further distinguished by the commodity hauled or railcar type?
## Hazmat and placarding
## Classification by gross weight per car
## Excess railcar length and/or height
## Dimensional loads
## Community emergency response notification
## Train consist-oriented characteristics:
### Train length and weight
### Railcar placement in consist
### Locomotive placement in consist
### Container/trailer placement per railcar
### Buffer car requirements
# What performance metrics should be established for each regulatory objective?

==Round Four: Prioritization and Process==

# What regulatory issues are most urgent to address?
## Should the regulatory landscape and policy favor one mode over another?
### Why?
## What process should be established for reviewing and/or sunsetting rules and regulations at intervals or upon a change in circumstances?
## How frequently should a regulation undergo review to understand changes in benefits and costs?
## What monitoring or reporting improvements can be identified?
# How should hard and soft costs of regulations be calculated and recognized?
## Who are the impacted parties?
## What data measures have been used to illuminate the need for that regulation?
## How is the cost of implementing a regulation apportioned and funded relative to each stakeholder group?
# What factors should be weighed in regulatory execution decisions and implementation timing?
## Technology maturity
## Pragmatic deployment timing
## Costs and benefits to the impacted parties
## Effectiveness of the regulation toward achieving the objective
# What types of changes should be made to rulemaking and regulatory processes?
## Does the regulation account for all impacted parties?
## Does the regulation shift the modal balance in a way that negates the overall benefit?
## Examples for evaluation:
### Hours of service limitations to promote safe operation
### Total GHG/particulate/NOx emissions per shipment unit
### Toxic material emissions per accident
### Equipment inspection intervals
### Total GHG/particulate/NOx emissions per shipment unit
### Toxic material emissions per accident
### Equipment inspection intervals
# How can the need for rules and regulations be mitigated with trust and cooperation?
## What transformation in principles and culture among impacted parties can lead to the presence of trust as expected and delivered?
## What transparent and comparable Key Performance Measures empower trust and cooperation, and how are they collected, registered, and interpreted?

BrainTrust

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=The people and organizations who design, produce, and support OnTrackWorld and our Initiatives.=

=== [[BrainTrust/Board of Trustees|Board of Trustees]] ===
'''Stewards of OnTrackWorld and its Workspace vision, activities, obligations, and integrity.'''

=== [[BrainTrust/Endorsers|Endorsers]] ===
'''Individuals in leadership positions who endorse OnTrackWorld with a written quote.'''

=== [[BrainTrust/Leaders|Leaders]] ===
'''Individuals or organizations who take on a high level of responsibility for the mission.'''

=== [[BrainTrust/Participating Stakeholders|Participating Stakeholders]] ===
'''Individuals and representatives of organizations participating in IntelliConferences'''

=== [[BrainTrust/Partners|Partners]] ===
'''Individuals or organizations who choose to stand with OnTrackWorld in advancing the mission.'''

=== [[BrainTrust/Sponsors|Sponsors]] ===
'''Individuals or organizations that provide funding to our work.'''

=== [[BrainTrust/Team Members|Team Members]] ===
'''Members of our team who make everything we do possible!'''

Geographic Initiatives

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OnTrackWorld is the global initiative for stakeholders from all over to coordinate their natural resources and industrial supply chains. Stakeholders can support continental or national initiatives, or those of the states and provinces within each, enhancing their position in a continental and global "Silk Network" of industrial and logistics activity. Multiple countries or provinces can also coordinate regionally, as can municipalities, cities, and towns.

== Geographic Regions for OTW Planning and Action ==
OTW Geographic Planning Regions are local, corridor, state/province, regional/multi-state, national, and continental. Initiatives are cataloged here as Potential, In Development, and In Gear, as they are conceived and advanced by stakeholder groups.

== State/Province ==

====== ''Potential'' ======
* 50 US States
* 31 Mexican States
* 13 Canadian Provinces and Territories

====== ''In Development'' ======
*OnTrackworld/Nevada
*[[OnTrackPennsylvania|OnTrackworld/Pennsylvania]]
*[[OnTrackAlaska|OnTrackworld/Alaska]]

====== ''In Gear'' ======

== Corridor ==

====== ''Potential'' ======

====== ''In Development'' ======
*Dallas to Texarkana I30 Corridor Strategy
*San Francisco Bay ports to Salt Lake City I80 Corridor Strategy
*San Pedro Bay ports to Salt Lake City I15 Corridor

====== ''In Gear'' ======

== Regional/Multi-state ==

====== ''Potential'' ======
*Southeast Supply Chain Coalition

====== ''In Development'' ======
*Southwest Supply Chain Coalition

====== ''In Gear'' ======

== Local ==

====== ''Potential'' ======
*OnTrackworld/Philadelphia

====== ''In Development'' ======

====== ''In Gear'' ======

== National ==

====== ''Potential'' ======
*OnTrackworld/Mexico
*OnTrackworld/Canada
*OnTrackworld/US

====== ''In Development'' ======

====== ''In Gear'' ======

== Continental ==
* OnTrackworld/NorthAmerica

Home Page

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Welcome to OnTrackWorld}}
= <center>Where stakeholders design sustainable industrial systems that work for everyone.</center> =

<div style="display:flex; flex-wrap:wrap">

<div style="float:left; max-width:500px; padding:0 20px 0 20px">
=====We have a challenge ahead of us.=====
Our industrial systems are not optimized for sustainability or profitability. The truth is, neither marketplace dynamics nor vested interest lobbying lead to smart supply chains. From natural resources and agriculture to production, consumption, and recycling, our society must redesign its fragmented industrial systems.

=====Why do we need to meet this head-on?=====
Civilization on a resource-limited planet cannot thrive without a new level of thinking, planning, and investing. Right now, we are missing out on crucial opportunities to improve efficiency, sustainability, and profits.
=====How does OnTrackWorld address this problem?=====
OnTrackWorld brings stakeholders together to solve problems that single organizations cannot. We facilitate thinking, planning, and investing at the level of [[Collaborative Industrial Optimization]].

Individual businesses and political jurisdictions all win from acting as a system. This collaboration and coordination renders everyone smarter. OnTrackWorld shines a bright light on the inadequacy of competition to deliver sustainably profitable resource-based industrial activity.

Explore our [[Industrial Systems Initiatives]] or visit the [[OTNA Curriculum|Curriculum]] section to understand the methodologies that make it work.

===== Welcome to OnTrackWorld! =====
[[OTNA Curriculum|{{Clickable button|<big>Next steps for learning more</big>}}]]
</div>

<div style="min-width:500; float:right; flex:1; padding-left:20px; padding-right:20px; border-left:medium solid #c8ccd1">
=====Current IntelliConferences=====
'''[[VitalRail/IntelliConferences/Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Merger|Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Merger IntelliConference]]'''
=====In-Gear Initiatives=====
'''[[VitalRail]]'''
=====Latest News=====
Our founder Michael Sussman, in conjunction with Matanuska Borough in Alaska invite you to join them for Port MacKenzie Industry Open House on September 15th, 10:00-2:00. Michael and the Alaska Industrial Authority look forward to advancing the Borough’s vision of Port MacKenzie. Join leaders from mining, energy, transportation, and resiliency for a conversation shaping Alaska's industrial future at Port MacKenzie. Lunch will be served.

= =
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<div style="float:left; max-width:800px; padding:0 20px 0 0">

====<big>OnTrackWorld</big>====
<big>'''1700 Sansom Street, Suite 701'''

'''Philadelphia, PA 19103 USA'''

'''Phone: +1 215-564-3004'''

[[Special:Contact|Contact Us]]</big>
</div>

</div>

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‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

About OnTrackWorld

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<center>[[File:OTW-OneLine-CS-REV.png|center|frameless|600x600px]]</center>
[[File:Michaelsussman.jpg|thumb|alt=Michael Sussman|Michael Sussman]]
<h1> About OnTrackWorld </h1>
'''OnTrackWorld''' originated as '''OnTrackNorthAmerica''' (OTNA) which was founded by '''Michael Sussman''' in 2007 as a nonprofit 501c3 industrial policy institute co-leading society in redesigning industrial systems to support sustainable life. This mission was expanded in 2026 with the launch of OnTrackWorld, registered in Pennsylvania as a Benefit Corporation. Michael Sussman began his career in transportation in 1994 by founding [https://strategicrail.com Strategic Rail Finance], (SRF) a trusted advisory firm, and has since advised on infrastructure-related projects, companies, and systems for private and public sector clients in forty-three U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. [[https://strategicrail.com/case-studies/ View SRF case studies]]

At OnTrackWorld, we value objectivity, non-partisanship, and autonomy from any financial, political, or personal interests. We are committed to industrial systems that are financially profitable and sustainable.<br><br>
<b>OnTrackWorld, OTNA, and SRF have developed state and regional plans, tools, </b><b>analyses</b><b>, and paradigms support</b><b>ing</b><b> these </b><b>values</b><b>. </b>
* In 2023, OTNA led a four-county stakeholder process in New Mexico in the aftermath of a 350,000-acre forest fire resulting in the [[New Mexico Sustainable Forestry Business Plan|New Mexico Forestry Business Plan]].
* In 2021, OTNA convened hundreds of transportation stakeholders to create [[Nevada’s 2021 State Rail Plan]], a new whole-systems paradigm for statewide rail-enabled economic development.
* On December 11, 2008, SRF [[Media:Resolution-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|gathered industry and government leaders in the U.S. Capitol Building]] to set a new collaborative framework for freight rail transportation efficiency.
* On December 8, 1998, SRF convened [[Media:1998-Invitation-US-Congressional-Briefing-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|a rail transportation educational event in the U.S. Capitol Building]] for 55 congressional staff.

<b>OnTrackWorld Frequently Collaborates with Partners in Academia </b>

* Dr. Barbara Gray, founder of Penn State University’s Center for Research in Conflict and Negotiation, has contributed significantly to OTNA’s work.
* The University of Tennessee’s [https://isse.utk.edu/ Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment] provided research assistance for OTNA’s Land Freight Lifecycle Impact Calculator.
* Philadelphia’s Temple University hosted Michael’s talk, [[How Collaboration, Trust, and Railroads Will Save the World|“How Collaboration, Trust, and Railroads Will Save the World,”]] on December 5th, 2023.
* The Transportation Research Forum honored Michael with its 2024 annual [https://trforum.org/presidents-award/ President’s Award].
* Michael serves on the Industry Advisory Board of the six-university consortium, [https://fersc.utk.edu/ Center for Freight Transportation and Efficient & Resilient Supply Chains]

<b>He has contributed </b><b>to </b><b>improving public policy by meeting with s</b><b>taff or leaders of 6</b><b>9</b> <b>U.S. Senate and 1</b><b>9</b><b>5</b><b> U.S. House offices</b><b>. </b>

* In March of 2011, Michael was the only private sector invitee to a [[Media:2011-Invitation-US-Congress-Rail-Workshop-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|U.S. House Railroad Subcommittee Staff Workshop]] to explore ways to improve the FRA RRIF loan program.
* On February 17, 2011, [[Media:2011-Testimony-US-Congressional-Hearing-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|he testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Railroad Subcommittee]] on reforms to the Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program.
* On October 19, 2005, [[Media:2005-Testimony-Surface-Transportation-Board-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|he spoke before the Surface Transportation Board]] on the 25th anniversary of the Staggers Rail Act of 1980.

<b>Representative acknowledgments of these efforts:</b>

* Thank you letters from [[Media:Thank-You-Letter-US-Rep-Wolf-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Republican House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Frank Wolf]] and [https://work.ontracknorthamerica.org/images/3/3e/Thank-You-Letter-US-Sen-Rockefeller-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller’s Chief of Staff].
* In 2003, he contributed to Washington State produce shippers by designing and writing important elements of the [[Media:2003-Reference-Letter-2-WSDOT-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Washington State Produce Railcar Pool Act]] as passed by the 2003 state legislature.
* In 1999, he worked with the Federal Railroad Administration to eliminate audited financial statement requirements for Class II and III railroads from the [[Media:OMB-Caused-the-Delay-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing Act (RRIF loan program)]].
* In November of 1997 he was responsible for making freight rail projects eligible in [[Media:OnTrackNorthAmerica-105v106.pdf|H.R.115 – the National Infrastructure Development Act]].

<b>Michael‘s writing has been published in many transportation industry journals:</b>

* [[Media:December 2014 Railway Age Perspective.pdf|Railway Age, December 2014, “Revitalizing Direct Rail Service”]]
* [[Media:A-RRIF-Centered-Capitalization-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Railway Age, April 2011, “A RRIF-Centered Capitalization Growth Strategy”]]
* [[Media:Leveraging-Capital-for-the-Entire-Industry-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Railway Age, September 2008, “Leveraging Capital for the Entire Industry”]]
* [[Media:Regional-and-Short-Line-RRs-in-the-US-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Transportation Quarterly, Fall 2002, “Regional and Short Line Railroads in the United States”]]
* [[Media:Assessing-the-Process-of-Creating-the-RRIF-Program-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Association of Transportation Law, Logistics & Policy, Fall 2000, “Assessing the Process of Creating the RRIF Program”]]
* [[Media:Getting-a-Lenders-Attention-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Progressive Railroading, June 1998, “Getting a Lender’s Attention”]]<br> ====OnTrackWorld====
<div style="display:flex; flex-wrap:wrap">

<div style="float:left; max-width:800px; padding:0 20px 0 0">
[[Special:Contact|Contact us]]
</big>
</div>

<div style="min-width:300; float:right; flex:2; padding-left:20px; padding-right:20px; border-left:medium solid #c8ccd1">
<big>'''1700 Sansom Street, Suite 701'''

'''Philadelphia, PA 19103 USA'''

'''Phone: +1 215-564-3004'''</big>
</div>

</div>

Founder's Statement

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[[File:1 Connecting Close-up.jpg|right|frameless|321x321px]]

=== Why Have We Created OnTrackWorld? ===
<blockquote>''“Whenever I hear that we need a national dialogue, as in, we need a national dialogue on gun control, police reform, or voter rights, I wonder, where exactly would we have that dialogue? In the newspapers, on social media, in our courts? These venues are ill-suited for substantive national dialogues.”'' '''- Michael Sussman'''</blockquote>

'''This absence cripples our public policy—and our industrial systems.''' Industrial sectors operate as fragmented silos pursuing conflicting goals. Industrial development becomes isolated projects rather than integrated systems. Climate disruption and supply chain failures demand we redesign these systems for profitability and sustainability.

These challenges require collaboration across all stakeholders. OnTrackWorld brings together industry, government, academia, and communities for whole systems planning. We do this through '''[[Industrial Systems Initiatives]],''' using '''[[IntelliConferences|IntelliConferences®]]''' and '''[[IntelliSynthesis|IntelliSynthesis®]].'''

The missing ingredient isn't intelligence—it's infrastructure for collaboration. We have lacked a framework for building solutions without being derailed by competition and mistrust. Over thirty years working with thousands of stakeholders, we developed IntelliSynthesis to synthesize stakeholder knowledge into smart policies and investments.

Most assume that limiting stakeholder input speeds solutions. We've found the opposite: addressing all system elements builds consensus faster and reveals solutions that narrow approaches miss. The more we examine system interactions, the more we turn them into positive synergies.

'''Our transportation networks illustrate exactly why this systems approach matters.''' Consider how transportation has typically been planned, or more accurately, not planned. Supply chains have evolved as a chaotic response to shippers' and developers' site choices made without regard to transportation impacts. COVID-19 exposed supply chain gaps. The response was massive infrastructure investment. Unfortunately, this capital continues to be allotted for individual competing projects while serious system inefficiencies remain. Despite railroad's ability to move freight using one-third the fuel and producing one-third the emissions of trucks, we continue to stimulate highway-centric development while leaving railroads' energy, space, and capital efficiencies underutilized.

'''The root problem is structural.''' Stakeholders operate in a competitive and, in some cases, monopolistic mode, neither of which allows for the collaboration needed for rail development and supply chain efficiency. To create sustainable, multimodal industrial systems, we must shift toward integrated planning of supply chains, land use, and transportation.

<blockquote>''"Yes, a profound shift is necessary—and urgent. We live in a critical moment of potential environmental collapse alongside the need to expand economic opportunity. Redesigning industrial systems will deliver both environmental and economic sustainability. '''Join us to build industrial systems that match our intelligence!”''' -'''''Michael Sussman'''</blockquote>

Collaboration Will Take Us Where Competition Can’t

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[[File:-1 Connecting - Copy.jpg|right|450x450px|alt=Michael Sussman explaining his methodologies to various stakeholders.|Collaboration Is the Key To Success. ]]
Are people inherently altruistic, or are they self-centered? This question brings us to the heart of how we have organized our societies, economies, and governments. It is the most consequential question of our time. How we answer it determines whether we keep building our institutions around competition and mistrust or around collaboration and a shared future.

OnTrackWorld is founded on the conviction that collaboration and coordination, not competition, are the superior means of ensuring that business and government serve the best interests of all. Establishing that principle as the foundation of civilization is our purpose. But, we must first understand how we came to believe the opposite and why that belief has never been as solid as we were taught.

In America, in particular, we have been taught that striving for individual success is beneficial for everyone, as a productive capitalist society depends on it. The scientific basis for this precept is ostensibly "survival of the fittest," which has come to be widely accepted as the fundamental finding of Charles Darwin's research. The modern interpretation of survival of the fittest posits that humans, like other species, are naturally selfish and that selfishness drives progress. But is it possible that this belief is not only mistaken, but that it exerts an undue and debilitating influence on society? And does it actually represent Darwin's findings?

Most people would be surprised to learn that "survival of the fittest" was not Darwin's phrase at all — it was coined by Herbert Spencer and only adopted by Darwin in a later edition of ''On the Origin of Species''. Contrary to popular belief, Darwin's key observations of natural selection did not focus on individual competition. Darwin observed that in nature, the community provides the best perches, food, and resources to the strongest members, which confers on them reproductive advantages, so they ultimately produce the healthiest offspring. Harmony within the community, not domination of the community, is what Darwin observed. Moreover, he wrote that individuals in nature are inherently social, which is ultimately what produces and sustains well-being for the whole community.

Across the world, at any moment, on any given day, billions of people go about their business looking out for each other's best interests. If that weren't true, the world would not work as well as it does. Cooperation and thoughtfulness abound, while selfish, antagonistic acts pale in numbers. "Are people inherently compassionate or self-centered?" has remained an oft-posed question because of the difference in impact between acts of cooperation or love and acts of aggression or thoughtlessness.

Hug someone today, and the feeling of love can fade by tomorrow. You almost have to hug them repeatedly, and we do. Shoot or knife someone, drive drunk and crash, or meanly criticize another person, and the memory and consequence can last a lifetime. It is this severe and often lasting impact of violence and negativity that muddies our appreciation for the overwhelming amount of cooperation and consideration all around us.

So, how did we come to misapply Darwin's transformative work? Why did we orient commerce and governance around competition and mistrust rather than cooperation and trust? What would have us think that we must pit individuals, companies, organizations, political parties, and countries in an endless competition?

"Darwinism" gained popularity during the mid-19th century, when American and British industrialists sought a belief system to justify their massive accumulation of wealth and power. They sponsored members of a new intellectual field called Social Darwinism to promote a misreading of ''On the Origin of Species''. One of the movement's leading figures, Herbert Spencer, originated the term "survival of the fittest." Because the public's access to Darwin's book was limited, those in power used this disinformation campaign to influence public support for their versions of capitalism and democracy.

We all suffer under the influence of Spencer's false and destructive misinterpretation of nature and, indeed, humanity. Modern governance and commerce have since developed around an over-reliance on competitive debate, competing factions, and constant jockeying for attention and favors. However, competition stifles the collective potential of a society and is ultimately highly inefficient for towns, counties, states, countries, and their businesses.

Effective, efficient organization of all components of a sustainable industrial system is only possible through collaboration and coordination.

Of course, competition has its place in sports, games, and some aspects of business. However, orienting our civilization's primary functions around competition is outmoded and unsustainable.

Mounting environmental stresses from the world's exploding population and ever-increasing competition to exploit the globe's abundant yet finite natural resources threaten our peace and prosperity.

It is more crucial than ever to discard these outdated, limiting assumptions and embrace a new paradigm — one of commitment to our community, both locally and globally. It is time to redesign our systems of governance and commerce around collaboration, to ensure sustainability and prosperity for everyone.

What is OnTrackWorld's role in this essential shift in priorities? We teach and lead by convening stakeholders in productive dialogue using our question-based dialogue method, IntelliSynthesis®. By their nature, questions open our minds to intelligent thought, exploration, and shared knowledge. By synthesizing, cataloging, and utilizing this collective intelligence, diverse stakeholders can solve problems and implement action plans effectively.

Our work is informed by close interactions with more than 11,000 individuals across the continent who have overwhelmingly expressed their heartfelt desire for a world that works for everyone. As Darwin discovered almost two hundred years ago, a society advances when its members orient around essential collaboration and coordination — with competition serving as a tool within that collaborative framework, not as the framework itself.

Industrial Systems Initiatives

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__TOC__

'''''Industrial Systems Initiatives are the commercial, policy, and planning strategies and actions that amplify the profitability and secure the sustainability of whole industrial systems.'''''

== '''In Gear''' ==
* [[VitalRail|VitalRail, Growing Freight Rail Carloads and Sustainable Industrial Systems]]
* [[RE-FOREST|RE-FOREST, Sustainable Forestry and Wood Products]]
* [[EMIP|EMIP, Essential Minerals Industrial Planning]]

== '''In Development''' ==
* RE-CARD, Cement and Aggregates Regional Distribution
* RE-POWER, Rail Enabled Power Distribution
* RE-GLASS, Glass Logistics and Sustainable Supply
* FTLUS, Freight Transportation Land Use Strategy
* RE-BAR, Brownfield Asset Redevelopment

== '''Future''' ==
Do you want to suggest and/or even co-lead OTNA's work in other industries? Although, our initial focus is on rail's contribution to industrial productivity, our initiatives are designed to improve all industries that can benefit from collaborative progress.

===== Agriculture =====
* Inputs
** Land
** Soil
** Soil Enhancements
** Water
*Processing
* Outputs
** Food
** Energy
** Nutrient material

===== Forestry =====
*[[RE-FOREST|RE-FOREST, Sustainable Forestry and Wood Products]]
** Wood
** Pulp
** Paper

===== Mining =====
* Minerals
**[[RE-STEM Minerals Industry Action Plan|EMIP, Essential Minerals Industrial Planning]]
* Metals
* Coal
* Oil and Gas

===== Manufacturing =====
*Metals
*Chemicals
*Equipment
*Textiles

===== Materials =====
*Containers and Packaging
*Construction Materials
**Cement and Aggregates
***RE-CARD, Cement and Aggregates Regional Distribution
**Refractory
**Lumber
*Metals
*Plastics
*Paper

===== Construction =====
*Factories
*Warehouses
*Powerplants
*Mechanical and structural components

===== Energy =====
*RE-POWER, Rail Enabled Power Distribution

===== Transportation =====
*Rail
**[[VitalRail: A Continental Freight Rail Growth Initiative|VitalRail, A Continental Strategy for Growing Freight Rail Service]]
*Truck
*Air
*Ports
*Ocean
*River Barge
*Pipelines

===== Waste =====
*Industrial
*Commercial
* Municipal
** Glass
***RE-GLASS, Glass Logistics and Sustainable Supply
* Construction and demolition waste
*Agricultural
* Wood waste

===== Natural Resources =====
When deciding how best to streamline an existing industrial system, stakeholders must evaluate all elements within and affected by that system.
* Water
* Air
* Land
** FTLUS, Freight Transportation Land Use Strategy
** RE-BAR, Brownfield Asset Redevelopment

BrainTrust/Team Members

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=Organizers=
'''Individuals who assume responsibility for enrollment of Sponsors and development of IntelliConferences and Initiatives.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Organizers
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsussman-otna/ Michael Sussman]
|Strategic Rail Finance
|President & CEO
|OnTrackWorld Founder and Board President [[User:MSussman|[Profile]]]
|}
=IntelliConference Editors=
'''Team members who collaborate with the Facilitators, Organizers and SMEs to prepare Summaries and Digests of IntelliConferences.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+IntelliConference Editors
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes

|}
=Support Staff=
'''Team members who support stakeholders, OnTrackWorld Workspace, and VitalRail projects.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Support Staff
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes

|}
=Participation Coaches=
'''Team members who support participants in meeting their IntelliConference and IntelliSynthesis Participation Agreements.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Participation Coaches
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes

|}
=Team Leaders=
'''Management and operations leaders of OnTrackWorld.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Team Leaders
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-meyers-31881/ Jonathan Meyers]
|OnTrackWorld
|GIS Coordinator
|Technical and Strategic leadership for GIS within the OTNA Mission [[User:jmeyers@ontracknorthamerica.org|[Profile]]]
|-
|[https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-strong-6197107a/ Colin Strong]
|OnTrackworld
|CTO
|Leading the charge on OTNA's technology, mainly focused on development of this website. [[User:CStrong|[Profile]]]

|}
=OnTrackWorld Volunteers=
'''Individuals who contribute their time and energy to advancing OnTrackWorld's work.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+OnTrackWorld Volunteers
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes

|}
=Researchers=
'''Team members who conduct objective research at the direction of SMEs, Facilitators, and Organizers.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Researchers
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes

|}
=IntelliConference Facilitators=
'''Qualified leaders of IntelliConferences who may or may not be Subject Matter Experts.'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+IntelliConference Facilitators
!Name
!Affiliation
!Title
!Notes

|}

Multilogue Records

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===== Purpose =====
An online knowledge management platform where OnTrackWorld organizers, facilitators and participating stakeholders maintain Summaries linked to deep-content evidence that supports the current status of fulfilling goals. No one has the time to read long white papers on the work. Stakeholders need summaries much like Wikipedia linking facts in an encyclopedia form. OnTrackWorld links breakthrough information for accomplishing goals. Multilogue Records present content that show the breakthroughs on ISI goals. Storing background information on all things related to ISI goals is the job of the Internet, not ours. Though we certainly establish links within our subject pages to relevant evidence posted on the Internet.

===== Process and Methods =====
Multilogue Records use a number of methods and tools combined with plain old people-people organizing to distill and present high quality information.

OnTrackPennsylvania

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:OnTrackWorld Pennsylvania}}
OnTrackWorld Pennsylvania is a Geographic initiative of OnTrackWorld. Its goal is to bring our Industrial Systems Initiatives to the state of Pennsylvania.

== In-Progress Initiatives ==

* [[RE-FOREST/Regions/United States/Pennsylvania|RE-FOREST Pennsylvania]]
* EMIP Pennsylvania

== Local Regions ==

* [[OnTrackPennsylvania/Philadelphia|Philadelphia]]
* Pittsburgh
* [More to Come]

2021 Nevada State Rail Plan - Individual Chapters, Appendix, & Links

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'''Every state must have a current state rail plan to qualify for federal funding of rail projects. OnTrackNorthAmerica, OnTrackWord's''' predecessor, was engaged by the Nevada Department of Transportation to prepare an innovative state rail plan that brings together a wide range of influencers from business, government, and community.

'''Individual Chapters of the Rail Plan'''

[[Media:6-Nevada-State-Rail-Plan-Blueprint-for-Action.pdf|Table of Contents]]

[[Media:5-Executive-Summary-Nevada-State-Rail-Plan-v2.pdf|Executive Summary]]

[[Media:SRF-OTNA New Blueprint for Rail-Enabled Economic Development.pdf|Blueprint for Action]]

[[Media:7-CHAPTER-1-Role-of-Rail-in-Nevada.pdf|Chapter 1 – Role of Rail in Nevada (1 MB)]]

[[Media:8-CHAPTER-2-Nevada-Existing-Rail-System.pdf|Chapter 2 – Nevada Existing Rail System (9 MB)]]

[[Media:9-CHAPTER-3-Nevada-Passenger-Rail-Strategic-Plan.pdf|Chapter 3 – Nevada Passenger Rail Strategic Plan (5.5 MB)]]

[[Media:10-CHAPTER-4-Nevada-Freight-Rail-Strategic-Plan.pdf|Chapter 4 – Nevada Freight Rail Strategic Plan (15 MB)]]

[[Media:11-CHAPTER-5-Nevada-Rail-Service-and-Investment-Program.pdf|Chapter 5 – Nevada Rail Service Investment Program (1.5 MB)]]

[[Media:12-CHAPTER-6-Nevada-Coordination-and-Review.pdf|Chapter 6 – Nevada Coordination and Review (1.1 MB)]]

[[Media:13-Appendix-Combined.pdf|Appendix (33 MB)]]

[[Media:4-List-of-Abbreviations-and-Glossary.pdf|Glossary of terms]]

[[Media:2-Acknowledgements.pdf|Acknowledgements]]

'''Links To Maps'''

[https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6889434cffa640e483e58b7fba0e393f&extent=-14173837.7636%2C4128342.1281%2C-12272084.4998%2C5191122.5694%2C102100 Nevada State Rail Map – Online multilayer, digital map (Takes time to load)]

[[Media:CombinedNSP.pdf|Rail Plan Guided Tour]]

[https://www.dot.nv.gov/mobility/state-rail-maps/-fsiteid-1 Nevada State Rail Maps – Printable]

The OnTrackMississippi Stakeholder Knowledge Base

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<big>'''''Convening Industry, Government and Citizenry to Create Sustainable Supply Chains in Mississippi'''''</big>

This knowledge base is a product and service of [http://Strategic%20Rail%20Finance Strategic Rail Finance Corp.]

'''This KB is not yet active.'''
=Purpose=

* This is the place to get involved!
* Establish a real time working environment '''for stakeholders to act''' on OnTrackMississippi (OTM) goals
* Content will be refreshed regularly

=Moves=
[[OnTrackMississippi Moves]] is where we post the most useful items for moving OTM goals and projects forward. Its more than news its the moves.

=Core Principles and Ethics=
OnTrackMississippi subscribes [https://ontracknorthamerica.org/core-principles/ core principles and ethics of OTW]

=Goals=

* Restore viable Rosedale Port rail infrastructure and service.
* Increase collaboration and coopetition with supply chain stakeholders
* Promote OTM rail service including the regional landscape of industrial development properties, transportation assets and dynamics, and regional supply chains
* Use rail development as a catalyst for economic development

=Tasks=

* Use the [[Strategic Rail Finance Port of Rosedale Report]] as the entry point for ongoing work on OTM goals and projects
** The Port of Rosedale Report is about using rail based economic development for the reopening of the Great River Railroad
* In terms of OTM goals, what do we need to know about:
** [[What is most important about public-sector transportation plans, economic development strategy documents and economic data|Public-sector transportation plans, economic development strategy documents and economic data]]
** [[Monitor plans for the Rosedale Port|Rosedale Port]]'s contemplated rail, truck, and barge facilities, including track layout, existing nearby track characteristics, and available land within and near the property.
* Participate in stakeholders' interview summaries and help synthesize input into advancing OTM goals and opportunities.
** Security for politically and commercially sensitive input will be closely monitored. If you have further questions on this please ask the OTM staff facilitator.
** For example, interviews with the most knowledgeable and connected individuals and organizations on the county and the region’s manufacturing, natural resource, and agricultural activity, including port management, leading academics, local business owners, state and local officials, trade associations, shippers, transportation providers, and transload operators.
* Support research, brainstorming, and networking conversations to generate ideas and leads for the best conception of Port of Rosedale rail and truck infrastructure and services and a profile of and referrals to prospective tenants and users.
** Support dialogue with the management of other Mississippi and Arkansas River ports.
** Support dialogue with other economic development leaders who may be interested in revitalizing rail service in the state.
** Support dialogue with the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the Mississippi Development Authority.
* Support collaboration with Genesee and Wyoming, Inc. and its subsidiary railroad, Columbus & Greenville Railway, to advance ideas and establish parameters for new rail services at the Port of Rosedale and a potential rail line rebuild from Greenville to Rosedale that improve the attractiveness of rail transportation for existing and new businesses.
* Provide input on unique challenges, for example, the dynamics that have led to the closing of the CAGY line between West Point and Greenwood; considering the value of reopening that section to the region's commercial opportunities and rebuilding the line to Port of Rosedale.
* Provide input on evaluating funding approaches to augment county funding, including federal and private sectors.
__INDEX__
__NEWSECTIONLINK__

About OnTrackWorld

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<center></center>
[[File:Michaelsussman.jpg|thumb|alt=Michael Sussman|Michael Sussman]]
<h1> About OnTrackWorld </h1>
'''OnTrackWorld's''' predecessor '''OnTrackNorthAmerica''' (OTNA) was founded by '''Michael Sussman''' in 2007 as a nonprofit 501c3 industrial policy institute co-leading society in redesigning industrial systems to support sustainable life. This mission was expanded in 2026 with the launch of OnTrackWorld, (registered in Pennsylvania as a Benefit Corporation). Michael Sussman began his career in transportation in 1994 by launching [https://strategicrail.com Strategic Rail Finance], a trusted advisory firm, and has since advised on infrastructure-related projects, companies, and systems for private and public sector clients in forty-six U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. [[https://strategicrail.com/case-studies/ View SRF case studies]]

At OnTrackWorld, we value objectivity, non-partisanship, and autonomy from any financial, political, or personal interests. We are committed to industrial systems that are financially profitable and sustainable.<br><br>
<b>OTNA has developed state and regional plans, tools, </b><b>analyses</b><b>, and paradigms support</b><b>ing</b><b> these </b><b>values</b><b>. </b>
* In 2023, OTNA led a four-county stakeholder process in New Mexico in the aftermath of a 350,000-acre forest fire resulting in the [[New Mexico Sustainable Forestry Business Plan|New Mexico Forestry Business Plan]].
* In 2021, OTNA convened hundreds of transportation stakeholders to create [[Nevada’s 2021 State Rail Plan]], a new whole-systems paradigm for statewide rail-enabled economic development.
* On December 11, 2008, OTNA [[Media:Resolution-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|gathered industry and government leaders in the U.S. Capitol Building]] to set a new collaborative framework for freight rail transportation efficiency.
* On December 8, 1998, OTNA convened [[Media:1998-Invitation-US-Congressional-Briefing-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|a rail transportation educational event in the U.S. Capitol Building]] for 55 congressional staff.

<b>OnTrackNorthAmerica Frequently Collaborates with Partners in Academia </b>

* Dr. Barbara Gray, founder of Penn State University’s Center for Research in Conflict and Negotiation, has contributed significantly to OTNA’s work.
* The University of Tennessee’s [https://isse.utk.edu/ Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment] provided research assistance for OTNA’s Land Freight Lifecycle Impact Calculator.
* Philadelphia’s Temple University hosted Michael’s talk, [[How Collaboration, Trust, and Railroads Will Save the World|“How Collaboration, Trust, and Railroads Will Save the World,”]] on December 5th, 2023.
* The Transportation Research Forum honored Michael with its 2024 annual [https://trforum.org/presidents-award/ President’s Award].
* Michael serves on the Industry Advisory Board of the six-university consortium, [https://fersc.utk.edu/ Center for Freight Transportation and Efficient & Resilient Supply Chains]

<b>He has contributed </b><b>to </b><b>improving public policy by meeting with s</b><b>taff or leaders of 6</b><b>9</b> <b>U.S. Senate and 1</b><b>9</b><b>5</b><b> U.S. House offices</b><b>. </b>

* In March of 2011, Michael was the only private sector invitee to a [[Media:2011-Invitation-US-Congress-Rail-Workshop-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|U.S. House Railroad Subcommittee Staff Workshop]] to explore ways to improve the FRA RRIF loan program.
* On February 17, 2011, [[Media:2011-Testimony-US-Congressional-Hearing-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|he testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Railroad Subcommittee]] on reforms to the Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program.
* On October 19, 2005, [[Media:2005-Testimony-Surface-Transportation-Board-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|he spoke before the Surface Transportation Board]] on the 25th anniversary of the Staggers Rail Act of 1980.

<b>Representative acknowledgments of these efforts:</b>

* Thank you letters from [[Media:Thank-You-Letter-US-Rep-Wolf-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Republican House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Frank Wolf]] and [https://work.ontracknorthamerica.org/images/3/3e/Thank-You-Letter-US-Sen-Rockefeller-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller’s Chief of Staff].
* In 2003, he contributed to Washington State produce shippers by designing and writing important elements of the [[Media:2003-Reference-Letter-2-WSDOT-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Washington State Produce Railcar Pool Act]] as passed by the 2003 state legislature.
* In 1999, he worked with the Federal Railroad Administration to eliminate audited financial statement requirements for Class II and III railroads from the [[Media:OMB-Caused-the-Delay-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing Act (RRIF loan program)]].
* In November of 1997 he was responsible for making freight rail projects eligible in [[Media:OnTrackNorthAmerica-105v106.pdf|H.R.115 – the National Infrastructure Development Act]].

<b>Michael‘s writing has been published in many transportation industry journals:</b>

* [[Media:December 2014 Railway Age Perspective.pdf|Railway Age, December 2014, “Revitalizing Direct Rail Service”]]
* [[Media:A-RRIF-Centered-Capitalization-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Railway Age, April 2011, “A RRIF-Centered Capitalization Growth Strategy”]]
* [[Media:Leveraging-Capital-for-the-Entire-Industry-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Railway Age, September 2008, “Leveraging Capital for the Entire Industry”]]
* [[Media:Regional-and-Short-Line-RRs-in-the-US-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Transportation Quarterly, Fall 2002, “Regional and Short Line Railroads in the United States”]]
* [[Media:Assessing-the-Process-of-Creating-the-RRIF-Program-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Association of Transportation Law, Logistics & Policy, Fall 2000, “Assessing the Process of Creating the RRIF Program”]]
* [[Media:Getting-a-Lenders-Attention-OnTrackNorthAmerica.pdf|Progressive Railroading, June 1998, “Getting a Lender’s Attention”]]
==== <i><b><u>Advisory Board</u> </b></i> ====
<big>''Daniel Burgess''</big>

Local Chairman, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Division 456</br>

<big>''Dr. Beverly A. Cigler''</big>

Professor of Public Policy & Administration, Penn State Harrisburg</br>

<big>''Steve Gothreau''</big>

Norfolk Southern Rail Train & Engine Service (Retired)</br>

<big>''Philip Mortimer''</big></br>
Director, TruckTrain Industries

<big>''Mingzhou Jin, Ph.D.''</big></br>
Associate Head Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Tennessee

<big>''Brian Rademacher''</big>

CEcD Economic Development Director, City of Ormond Beach</br>

<big>''Karen Risa Robbins''</big>

Principal, Washington Progress Group</br>

<big>''Peter Schwartzman''</big>

Associate Professor & Chair, Knox College Environmental Studies Program</br>

<big>''Dr. Joseph Schwieterman''</big>

Director, DePaul University, Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development

<div style="display:flex; flex-wrap:wrap">

<div style="float:left; max-width:800px; padding:0 20px 0 0">
<big>
====OnTrackNorthAmerica====
[[Special:Contact|Contact us]]
</big>
</div>

<div style="min-width:300; float:right; flex:2; padding-left:20px; padding-right:20px; border-left:medium solid #c8ccd1">
<big>'''1700 Sansom Street, Suite 701'''

'''Philadelphia, PA 19103 USA'''

'''Phone: +1 215-564-3004'''</big>
</div>

</div>

MediaWiki:Common.css

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/* ==========================================================================
OnTrackWorld home page and inquiry components.
Append to MediaWiki:Common.css (keep whatever is already there).
Palette: adjust --otw-ink and --otw-accent to the logo colours in onelineotw.svg.
========================================================================== */

:root {
--otw-ink: #1c3557; /* deep rail blue: headings, primary buttons */
--otw-ink-soft: #3f5f8a;
--otw-accent: #c47a12; /* warm signal: current phase, live markers */
--otw-paper: #f7f5f0; /* warm off-white panels */
--otw-line: #d9d4ca;
--otw-text: #202122;
--otw-muted: #5c6470;
--otw-inquiry: #2f6f9f;
--otw-convergence: #b8741a;
--otw-commitment: #2e7d4f;
}

/* ---- Layout primitives ------------------------------------------------- */
.otw-hero,
.otw-how,
.otw-grid,
.otw-two-col,
.otw-join-roles { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 20px; }

.otw-hero { align-items: stretch; margin: 0 0 28px; }
.otw-hero-text { flex: 2 1 480px; }
.otw-hero-aside {
flex: 1 1 260px; background: var(--otw-paper); border: 1px solid var(--otw-line);
border-left: 4px solid var(--otw-accent); padding: 16px 18px; border-radius: 4px;
}
.otw-kicker { font-size: 0.8em; letter-spacing: 0.12em; text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--otw-muted); margin-bottom: 4px; }
.otw-hero-text h1, .otw-hero-text .mw-heading1 { border: none; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; color: var(--otw-ink); margin: 0 0 12px; }
.otw-lede { font-size: 1.08em; max-width: 60ch; margin-bottom: 18px; }
.otw-aside-title { font-weight: 700; color: var(--otw-ink); text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 0.78em; letter-spacing: 0.1em; margin-bottom: 8px; }
.otw-aside-stat { margin: 6px 0; }
.otw-num { font-size: 1.6em; font-weight: 700; color: var(--otw-accent); margin-right: 6px; line-height: 1; }
.otw-aside-foot { margin-top: 12px; font-size: 0.9em; color: var(--otw-muted); }

.otw-how { margin: 0 0 32px; padding: 18px 0; border-top: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-bottom: 1px solid var(--otw-line); }
.otw-how-item { flex: 1 1 260px; }
.otw-how-item h4, .otw-how-item .mw-heading4 { margin-top: 0; color: var(--otw-ink); }

/* ---- Zones ------------------------------------------------------------- */
.otw-zone { margin: 0 0 36px; padding: 22px 22px 18px; border-radius: 6px; }
.otw-zone-active { background: #fff; border: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-top: 5px solid var(--otw-accent); }
.otw-zone-record { background: var(--otw-paper); border: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-top: 5px solid var(--otw-ink); }
.otw-zone-head h2, .otw-zone-head .mw-heading2 { border: none; margin-top: 0; color: var(--otw-ink); }
.otw-zone-sub { color: var(--otw-muted); max-width: 80ch; margin: -6px 0 18px; }
.otw-zone-foot { margin-top: 18px; padding-top: 14px; border-top: 1px dashed var(--otw-line); }

/* ---- Cards ------------------------------------------------------------- */
.otw-grid > * { flex: 1 1 300px; }
.otw-grid-3 > * { flex: 1 1 240px; }
.otw-card {
background: #fff; border: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-radius: 5px; padding: 14px 16px;
}
.otw-card h4, .otw-card .mw-heading4 { margin: 0 0 6px; font-size: 1.05em; }
.otw-inquiry { border-left: 4px solid var(--otw-inquiry); }
.otw-inquiry-convergence { border-left-color: var(--otw-convergence); }
.otw-inquiry-commitment { border-left-color: var(--otw-commitment); }
.otw-card-head { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 10px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: 0.85em; color: var(--otw-muted); }
.otw-card-title { font-weight: 700; font-size: 1.15em; margin-bottom: 6px; }
.otw-question { font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 10px; }
.otw-stats { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 6px 14px; font-size: 0.85em; color: var(--otw-muted); margin-bottom: 12px; }
.otw-stat::before { content: "•"; margin-right: 6px; color: var(--otw-line); }
.otw-stat:first-child::before { content: none; margin: 0; }
.otw-actions .mw-ui-button { margin: 0 6px 6px 0; }

/* ---- Phase badges and track ------------------------------------------- */
.otw-phase {
display: inline-block; padding: 2px 9px; border-radius: 999px; font-size: 0.78em; font-weight: 700;
letter-spacing: 0.06em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #fff; background: var(--otw-muted);
}
.otw-phase-inquiry { background: var(--otw-inquiry); }
.otw-phase-convergence { background: var(--otw-convergence); }
.otw-phase-commitment { background: var(--otw-commitment); }
.otw-phase-closed { background: #8a8f98; }

.otw-track { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: center; gap: 6px; margin-top: 8px; font-size: 0.85em; }
.otw-track-step { padding: 3px 10px; border: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-radius: 999px; color: var(--otw-muted); background: #fff; }
.otw-track-current { border-color: var(--otw-accent); color: var(--otw-ink); font-weight: 700; background: #fff6e8; }
.otw-track-arrow { color: var(--otw-line); }

/* ---- Activity, upcoming, join band ------------------------------------- */
.otw-two-col { margin-bottom: 36px; }
.otw-col { flex: 1 1 320px; }
.otw-activity .mw-changeslist { font-size: 0.92em; }
.otw-activity .mw-changeslist h4 { display: none; }
.otw-small { font-size: 0.85em; color: var(--otw-muted); margin-top: 8px; }
.otw-upcoming ul { list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; }
.otw-upcoming li { padding: 8px 0; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--otw-line); }

.otw-join-band { background: var(--otw-ink); color: #fff; padding: 24px; border-radius: 6px; margin-bottom: 24px; }
.otw-join-band h2, .otw-join-band .mw-heading2 { color: #fff; border: none; margin-top: 0; }
.otw-join-band a { color: #ffe0b3; }
.otw-join-band .otw-role { flex: 1 1 240px; }
.otw-join-band h5, .otw-join-band .mw-heading5 { color: #fff; margin-top: 0; font-size: 1.05em; }
.otw-join-band .otw-cta { display: inline-block; margin-top: 14px; }
.otw-join-band .otw-cta-button { background: var(--otw-accent); border-color: var(--otw-accent); color: #fff; }

.otw-cta-button { font-weight: 700; }
.otw-respond { font-size: 0.85em; }
.otw-respond a::before { content: "↳ "; }
.otw-footer-contact { font-size: 0.9em; color: var(--otw-muted); padding-top: 12px; border-top: 1px solid var(--otw-line); }

/* ---- Site notice bar --------------------------------------------------- */
#siteNotice .otw-notice {
display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: center; justify-content: center; gap: 12px;
background: var(--otw-paper); border: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-left: 4px solid var(--otw-accent);
padding: 8px 14px; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.95em; text-align: left;
}
#siteNotice .otw-notice .mw-ui-button { padding: 4px 12px; font-size: 0.9em; }

/* ---- Small screens ----------------------------------------------------- */
@media (max-width: 720px) {
.otw-zone { padding: 16px 14px; }
.otw-join-band { padding: 18px 14px; }
}

/* ==========================================================================
Graphics: original SVG icons and textures as data URIs. Generated by build_graphics.py.
Same files are in graphics/ if you prefer to upload them as File: pages.
========================================================================== */

.otw-hero { position: relative; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 520 300%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%23b7c4d6%22 stroke-width=%221.6%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22%3E %3Cg opacity=%220.9%22%3E %3Cpath d=%22M30 250 L120 200 L210 215 L300 150 L400 120 L500 60%22/%3E %3Cpath d=%22M120 200 L150 110 L260 70 L400 120%22/%3E %3Cpath d=%22M210 215 L330 240 L440 200 L500 60%22/%3E %3Cpath d=%22M60 90 L150 110 M330 240 L300 150 M260 70 L300 150%22/%3E %3C/g%3E %3Cg fill=%22%23ffffff%22 stroke=%22%23b7c4d6%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%2230%22 cy=%22250%22 r=%225%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22120%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22210%22 cy=%22215%22 r=%225%22/%3E %3Ccircle cx=%22300%22 cy=%22150%22 r=%227%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22400%22 cy=%22120%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22500%22 cy=%2260%22 r=%225%22/%3E %3Ccircle cx=%22150%22 cy=%22110%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22260%22 cy=%2270%22 r=%225%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22330%22 cy=%22240%22 r=%225%22/%3E %3Ccircle cx=%22440%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2260%22 cy=%2290%22 r=%224%22/%3E %3C/g%3E %3Cg fill=%22%23e3b77f%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22300%22 cy=%22150%22 r=%223.5%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22120%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%222.5%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22440%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%222.5%22/%3E%3C/g%3E %3C/svg%3E"); background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: right 250px top 40px; background-size: 460px auto; }
@media (max-width: 1000px) { .otw-hero { background-position: right -60px bottom 0; background-size: 360px auto; } }
.otw-hero-text { position: relative; background: linear-gradient(90deg, #fff 0, #fff 55%, rgba(255,255,255,0) 100%); padding-right: 40px; }
.otw-hero-aside { position: relative; }

/* live marker in the aside */
.otw-aside-title::before { content: ""; display: inline-block; width: 9px; height: 9px; border-radius: 50%;
background: var(--otw-accent); margin-right: 8px; box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(196,122,18,.6); animation: otw-pulse 2.2s infinite; }
@keyframes otw-pulse { 0% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(196,122,18,.55); } 70% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 9px rgba(196,122,18,0); } 100% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(196,122,18,0); } }

/* rail-line divider around the how-it-works strip */
.otw-how { border: none; padding: 26px 0;
background:
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) top / 100% 1px no-repeat,
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) top 5px left / 100% 1px no-repeat,
repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0 14px, var(--otw-line) 14px 16px) top / 100% 6px no-repeat,
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) bottom / 100% 1px no-repeat,
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) bottom 5px left / 100% 1px no-repeat,
repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0 14px, var(--otw-line) 14px 16px) bottom / 100% 6px no-repeat; }

/* icons: any element with otw-ic-* gets a 30px glyph above its heading */
[class*="otw-ic-"]::before { content: ""; display: block; width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0 0 8px;
background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; }
.otw-how-item[class*="otw-ic-"]::before { width: 34px; height: 34px; }

.otw-ic-rail::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M7 3v18M17 3v18M5 7h14M5 12h14M5 17h14%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-tree::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 3l5 7h-3l4 5h-4l3 5H7l3-5H6l4-5H7z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 20v2%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-mineral::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5l8 4.6v9.8l-8 4.6-8-4.6V7.1z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5v19M4 7.1l8 4.6 8-4.6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-systems::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%227%22 cy=%227%22 r=%223.2%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2217%22 cy=%227%22 r=%223.2%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2217%22 r=%223.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M9.6 8.6l1 5.4M14.4 8.6l-1 5.4M10.2 7h3.6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-pin::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 21s-6-6.2-6-11a6 6 0 0 1 12 0c0 4.8-6 11-6 11z%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2210%22 r=%222.2%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-plan::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M6 3h9l4 4v14H6z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M15 3v4h4M9 12h6M9 16h6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-book::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M3 5.5C6 4 8.5 4 12 6c3.5-2 6-2 9-.5V19c-3-1.5-5.5-1.5-9 .5-3.5-2-6-2-9-.5z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 6v13.5%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-library::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 4h4v16H4zM10 4h4v16h-4zM16.5 5l3.8-.9 3 15.4-3.8.9z%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-calc::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Crect x=%225%22 y=%223%22 width=%2214%22 height=%2218%22 rx=%221.5%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M8 7h8M8.5 12h.01M12 12h.01M15.5 12h.01M8.5 16h.01M12 16h.01M15.5 16h.01%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-gis::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M3 6l6-2 6 2 6-2v14l-6 2-6-2-6 2z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M9 4v14M15 6v14%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-optimize::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%225%22 r=%222.2%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%225%22 cy=%2218%22 r=%222.2%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2219%22 cy=%2218%22 r=%222.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M10.8 7L6.2 16M13.2 7l4.6 9M7.2 18h9.6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-synthesis::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 20l3.5-1L19 7.5 15.5 4 4 15.5z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M13 6.5l3.5 3.5M4 20l1-3.5%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M14 20h6M16 16.5h4%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-conference::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%223%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 3a9 9 0 0 1 9 9%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 21a9 9 0 0 1-9-9%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M19.5 9.5L21 12l-2.5.8M4.5 14.5L3 12l2.5-.8%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-multilogue::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 12h6%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M10 12c3 0 3-6 6-6h4M10 12h10M10 12c3 0 3 6 6 6h4%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%224%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%221.5%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-pulse::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%23c47a12%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%223%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%228%22 stroke-dasharray=%223 3%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-record::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 7h16M4 12h16M4 17h16%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 5v14M20 5v14%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }

/* series glyph on inquiry cards */
.otw-card-series::before { content: ""; display: inline-block; width: 16px; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; margin-right: 5px;
background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; }
.otw-series-vitalrail .otw-card-series::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M7 3v18M17 3v18M5 7h14M5 12h14M5 17h14%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-series-re-forest .otw-card-series::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 3l5 7h-3l4 5h-4l3 5H7l3-5H6l4-5H7z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 20v2%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-series-emip .otw-card-series::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5l8 4.6v9.8l-8 4.6-8-4.6V7.1z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5v19M4 7.1l8 4.6 8-4.6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-series-re-stem .otw-card-series::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5l8 4.6v9.8l-8 4.6-8-4.6V7.1z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5v19M4 7.1l8 4.6 8-4.6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }

/* zone headings get a marker */
.otw-zone-head h2::before, .otw-zone-head .mw-heading2 h2::before { content: ""; display: inline-block; width: 26px; height: 26px;
vertical-align: -4px; margin-right: 10px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; }
.otw-zone-active .otw-zone-head h2::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%23c47a12%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%223%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%228%22 stroke-dasharray=%223 3%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-zone-record .otw-zone-head h2::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 7h16M4 12h16M4 17h16%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 5v14M20 5v14%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }

/* phase track drawn as a length of track */
.otw-track { position: relative; padding: 6px 0; }
.otw-track::before { content: ""; position: absolute; left: 0; right: 0; top: 50%; height: 8px; margin-top: -4px; z-index: 0;
background:
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) top / 100% 1px no-repeat,
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) bottom / 100% 1px no-repeat,
repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0 8px, var(--otw-line) 8px 10px); }
.otw-track { justify-content: space-between; gap: 4px; }
.otw-track-step { position: relative; z-index: 1; padding: 2px 8px; font-size: 0.95em; white-space: nowrap; }
.otw-track-arrow { display: none; }
.otw-track-current { box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px #fff; }

/* join band texture */
.otw-join-band { background-color: var(--otw-ink); background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 width=%2280%22 height=%2280%22 viewBox=%220 0 80 80%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%23ffffff%22 stroke-width=%221.3%22%3E%3Cg opacity=%220.13%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M-4 84 L84 -4%22 transform=%22translate(-4 -4)%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M-4 84 L84 -4%22 transform=%22translate(4 4)%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M-0.2 71.8 L8.2 80.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M15.8 55.8 L24.2 64.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M31.8 39.8 L40.2 48.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M47.8 23.8 L56.2 32.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M63.8 7.8 L72.2 16.2%22/%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/svg%3E"), linear-gradient(135deg, #1c3557 0%, #274a78 100%); }

/* record cards lift slightly on hover */
.otw-card { transition: transform .15s ease, box-shadow .15s ease; }
.otw-zone-record .otw-card:hover { transform: translateY(-2px); box-shadow: 0 6px 16px rgba(28,53,87,.10); }

.otw-zone-record .otw-card:hover { transform: translateY(-2px); box-shadow: 0 6px 16px rgba(28,53,87,.10); }

/* ---- Sidebar (Vector 2022 main menu): photo-backed card + bold section headings -----
Matches the look already live on the current site. Reuses that site's own background
asset rather than a fresh upload; swap the url() below if a local copy is preferred. */
body {
background: #0f2233 url("https://ontrackworld.com/resources/assets/Background.jpg") center top / cover no-repeat fixed;
}
.mw-page-container {
background: transparent !important;
}
#content {
background: #fff;
margin: 16px 16px 16px 0;
padding: 20px 26px 26px;
border-radius: 8px;
box-shadow: 0 6px 16px rgba(10,20,30,.15);
box-sizing: border-box;
}
.vector-header-container {
background: #fff;
}
#vector-main-menu-dropdown .vector-dropdown-content,
#vector-main-menu-pinned-container,
#vector-page-titlebar-toc .vector-dropdown-content,
#vector-toc-pinned-container {
background: var(--otw-paper);
border-radius: 8px;
margin: 16px 0 16px 16px;
padding: 18px 16px 24px;
box-sizing: border-box;
box-shadow: 0 6px 16px rgba(10,20,30,.18);
}
#mw-panel .vector-menu-heading,
#vector-main-menu .vector-menu-heading {
font-weight: 700 !important;
color: #1a1a1a !important;
font-size: 1.02em !important;
}

/* ---- Home Page: larger body paragraph text ---------------------------- */
.page-Home_Page #mw-content-text p {
font-size: 17px;
line-height: 1.6;
}
/* Excludes .otw-join-band explicitly (rather than relying on specificity)
so its own white/small heading styling above is untouched -- this only
affects plain body sub-headlines like "We have a challenge ahead of us."
that aren't inside that or any other card component. */
.page-Home_Page #mw-content-text .mw-heading5:not(.otw-join-band *) {
font-size: 20px;
color: var(--otw-ink);
margin: 1.5em 0 0.4em;
}

MediaWiki:Common.css

2026-09-14T20:07:10Z

CNeiss: Sync sidebar CSS block

/* ==========================================================================
OnTrackWorld home page and inquiry components.
Append to MediaWiki:Common.css (keep whatever is already there).
Palette: adjust --otw-ink and --otw-accent to the logo colours in onelineotw.svg.
========================================================================== */

:root {
--otw-ink: #1c3557; /* deep rail blue: headings, primary buttons */
--otw-ink-soft: #3f5f8a;
--otw-accent: #c47a12; /* warm signal: current phase, live markers */
--otw-paper: #f7f5f0; /* warm off-white panels */
--otw-line: #d9d4ca;
--otw-text: #202122;
--otw-muted: #5c6470;
--otw-inquiry: #2f6f9f;
--otw-convergence: #b8741a;
--otw-commitment: #2e7d4f;
}

/* ---- Layout primitives ------------------------------------------------- */
.otw-hero,
.otw-how,
.otw-grid,
.otw-two-col,
.otw-join-roles { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 20px; }

.otw-hero { align-items: stretch; margin: 0 0 28px; }
.otw-hero-text { flex: 2 1 480px; }
.otw-hero-aside {
flex: 1 1 260px; background: var(--otw-paper); border: 1px solid var(--otw-line);
border-left: 4px solid var(--otw-accent); padding: 16px 18px; border-radius: 4px;
}
.otw-kicker { font-size: 0.8em; letter-spacing: 0.12em; text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--otw-muted); margin-bottom: 4px; }
.otw-hero-text h1, .otw-hero-text .mw-heading1 { border: none; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; color: var(--otw-ink); margin: 0 0 12px; }
.otw-lede { font-size: 1.08em; max-width: 60ch; margin-bottom: 18px; }
.otw-aside-title { font-weight: 700; color: var(--otw-ink); text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 0.78em; letter-spacing: 0.1em; margin-bottom: 8px; }
.otw-aside-stat { margin: 6px 0; }
.otw-num { font-size: 1.6em; font-weight: 700; color: var(--otw-accent); margin-right: 6px; line-height: 1; }
.otw-aside-foot { margin-top: 12px; font-size: 0.9em; color: var(--otw-muted); }

.otw-how { margin: 0 0 32px; padding: 18px 0; border-top: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-bottom: 1px solid var(--otw-line); }
.otw-how-item { flex: 1 1 260px; }
.otw-how-item h4, .otw-how-item .mw-heading4 { margin-top: 0; color: var(--otw-ink); }

/* ---- Zones ------------------------------------------------------------- */
.otw-zone { margin: 0 0 36px; padding: 22px 22px 18px; border-radius: 6px; }
.otw-zone-active { background: #fff; border: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-top: 5px solid var(--otw-accent); }
.otw-zone-record { background: var(--otw-paper); border: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-top: 5px solid var(--otw-ink); }
.otw-zone-head h2, .otw-zone-head .mw-heading2 { border: none; margin-top: 0; color: var(--otw-ink); }
.otw-zone-sub { color: var(--otw-muted); max-width: 80ch; margin: -6px 0 18px; }
.otw-zone-foot { margin-top: 18px; padding-top: 14px; border-top: 1px dashed var(--otw-line); }

/* ---- Cards ------------------------------------------------------------- */
.otw-grid > * { flex: 1 1 300px; }
.otw-grid-3 > * { flex: 1 1 240px; }
.otw-card {
background: #fff; border: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-radius: 5px; padding: 14px 16px;
}
.otw-card h4, .otw-card .mw-heading4 { margin: 0 0 6px; font-size: 1.05em; }
.otw-inquiry { border-left: 4px solid var(--otw-inquiry); }
.otw-inquiry-convergence { border-left-color: var(--otw-convergence); }
.otw-inquiry-commitment { border-left-color: var(--otw-commitment); }
.otw-card-head { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 10px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: 0.85em; color: var(--otw-muted); }
.otw-card-title { font-weight: 700; font-size: 1.15em; margin-bottom: 6px; }
.otw-question { font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 10px; }
.otw-stats { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 6px 14px; font-size: 0.85em; color: var(--otw-muted); margin-bottom: 12px; }
.otw-stat::before { content: "•"; margin-right: 6px; color: var(--otw-line); }
.otw-stat:first-child::before { content: none; margin: 0; }
.otw-actions .mw-ui-button { margin: 0 6px 6px 0; }

/* ---- Phase badges and track ------------------------------------------- */
.otw-phase {
display: inline-block; padding: 2px 9px; border-radius: 999px; font-size: 0.78em; font-weight: 700;
letter-spacing: 0.06em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #fff; background: var(--otw-muted);
}
.otw-phase-inquiry { background: var(--otw-inquiry); }
.otw-phase-convergence { background: var(--otw-convergence); }
.otw-phase-commitment { background: var(--otw-commitment); }
.otw-phase-closed { background: #8a8f98; }

.otw-track { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: center; gap: 6px; margin-top: 8px; font-size: 0.85em; }
.otw-track-step { padding: 3px 10px; border: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-radius: 999px; color: var(--otw-muted); background: #fff; }
.otw-track-current { border-color: var(--otw-accent); color: var(--otw-ink); font-weight: 700; background: #fff6e8; }
.otw-track-arrow { color: var(--otw-line); }

/* ---- Activity, upcoming, join band ------------------------------------- */
.otw-two-col { margin-bottom: 36px; }
.otw-col { flex: 1 1 320px; }
.otw-activity .mw-changeslist { font-size: 0.92em; }
.otw-activity .mw-changeslist h4 { display: none; }
.otw-small { font-size: 0.85em; color: var(--otw-muted); margin-top: 8px; }
.otw-upcoming ul { list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; }
.otw-upcoming li { padding: 8px 0; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--otw-line); }

.otw-join-band { background: var(--otw-ink); color: #fff; padding: 24px; border-radius: 6px; margin-bottom: 24px; }
.otw-join-band h2, .otw-join-band .mw-heading2 { color: #fff; border: none; margin-top: 0; }
.otw-join-band a { color: #ffe0b3; }
.otw-join-band .otw-role { flex: 1 1 240px; }
.otw-join-band h5, .otw-join-band .mw-heading5 { color: #fff; margin-top: 0; font-size: 1.05em; }
.otw-join-band .otw-cta { display: inline-block; margin-top: 14px; }
.otw-join-band .otw-cta-button { background: var(--otw-accent); border-color: var(--otw-accent); color: #fff; }

.otw-cta-button { font-weight: 700; }
.otw-respond { font-size: 0.85em; }
.otw-respond a::before { content: "↳ "; }
.otw-footer-contact { font-size: 0.9em; color: var(--otw-muted); padding-top: 12px; border-top: 1px solid var(--otw-line); }

/* ---- Site notice bar --------------------------------------------------- */
#siteNotice .otw-notice {
display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: center; justify-content: center; gap: 12px;
background: var(--otw-paper); border: 1px solid var(--otw-line); border-left: 4px solid var(--otw-accent);
padding: 8px 14px; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.95em; text-align: left;
}
#siteNotice .otw-notice .mw-ui-button { padding: 4px 12px; font-size: 0.9em; }

/* ---- Small screens ----------------------------------------------------- */
@media (max-width: 720px) {
.otw-zone { padding: 16px 14px; }
.otw-join-band { padding: 18px 14px; }
}

/* ==========================================================================
Graphics: original SVG icons and textures as data URIs. Generated by build_graphics.py.
Same files are in graphics/ if you prefer to upload them as File: pages.
========================================================================== */

.otw-hero { position: relative; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 520 300%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%23b7c4d6%22 stroke-width=%221.6%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22%3E %3Cg opacity=%220.9%22%3E %3Cpath d=%22M30 250 L120 200 L210 215 L300 150 L400 120 L500 60%22/%3E %3Cpath d=%22M120 200 L150 110 L260 70 L400 120%22/%3E %3Cpath d=%22M210 215 L330 240 L440 200 L500 60%22/%3E %3Cpath d=%22M60 90 L150 110 M330 240 L300 150 M260 70 L300 150%22/%3E %3C/g%3E %3Cg fill=%22%23ffffff%22 stroke=%22%23b7c4d6%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%2230%22 cy=%22250%22 r=%225%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22120%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22210%22 cy=%22215%22 r=%225%22/%3E %3Ccircle cx=%22300%22 cy=%22150%22 r=%227%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22400%22 cy=%22120%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22500%22 cy=%2260%22 r=%225%22/%3E %3Ccircle cx=%22150%22 cy=%22110%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22260%22 cy=%2270%22 r=%225%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22330%22 cy=%22240%22 r=%225%22/%3E %3Ccircle cx=%22440%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%226%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2260%22 cy=%2290%22 r=%224%22/%3E %3C/g%3E %3Cg fill=%22%23e3b77f%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22300%22 cy=%22150%22 r=%223.5%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22120%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%222.5%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%22440%22 cy=%22200%22 r=%222.5%22/%3E%3C/g%3E %3C/svg%3E"); background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: right 250px top 40px; background-size: 460px auto; }
@media (max-width: 1000px) { .otw-hero { background-position: right -60px bottom 0; background-size: 360px auto; } }
.otw-hero-text { position: relative; background: linear-gradient(90deg, #fff 0, #fff 55%, rgba(255,255,255,0) 100%); padding-right: 40px; }
.otw-hero-aside { position: relative; }

/* live marker in the aside */
.otw-aside-title::before { content: ""; display: inline-block; width: 9px; height: 9px; border-radius: 50%;
background: var(--otw-accent); margin-right: 8px; box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(196,122,18,.6); animation: otw-pulse 2.2s infinite; }
@keyframes otw-pulse { 0% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(196,122,18,.55); } 70% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 9px rgba(196,122,18,0); } 100% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(196,122,18,0); } }

/* rail-line divider around the how-it-works strip */
.otw-how { border: none; padding: 26px 0;
background:
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) top / 100% 1px no-repeat,
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) top 5px left / 100% 1px no-repeat,
repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0 14px, var(--otw-line) 14px 16px) top / 100% 6px no-repeat,
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) bottom / 100% 1px no-repeat,
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) bottom 5px left / 100% 1px no-repeat,
repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0 14px, var(--otw-line) 14px 16px) bottom / 100% 6px no-repeat; }

/* icons: any element with otw-ic-* gets a 30px glyph above its heading */
[class*="otw-ic-"]::before { content: ""; display: block; width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0 0 8px;
background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; }
.otw-how-item[class*="otw-ic-"]::before { width: 34px; height: 34px; }

.otw-ic-rail::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M7 3v18M17 3v18M5 7h14M5 12h14M5 17h14%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-tree::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 3l5 7h-3l4 5h-4l3 5H7l3-5H6l4-5H7z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 20v2%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-mineral::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5l8 4.6v9.8l-8 4.6-8-4.6V7.1z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5v19M4 7.1l8 4.6 8-4.6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-systems::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%227%22 cy=%227%22 r=%223.2%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2217%22 cy=%227%22 r=%223.2%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2217%22 r=%223.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M9.6 8.6l1 5.4M14.4 8.6l-1 5.4M10.2 7h3.6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-pin::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 21s-6-6.2-6-11a6 6 0 0 1 12 0c0 4.8-6 11-6 11z%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2210%22 r=%222.2%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-plan::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M6 3h9l4 4v14H6z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M15 3v4h4M9 12h6M9 16h6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-book::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M3 5.5C6 4 8.5 4 12 6c3.5-2 6-2 9-.5V19c-3-1.5-5.5-1.5-9 .5-3.5-2-6-2-9-.5z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 6v13.5%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-library::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 4h4v16H4zM10 4h4v16h-4zM16.5 5l3.8-.9 3 15.4-3.8.9z%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-calc::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Crect x=%225%22 y=%223%22 width=%2214%22 height=%2218%22 rx=%221.5%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M8 7h8M8.5 12h.01M12 12h.01M15.5 12h.01M8.5 16h.01M12 16h.01M15.5 16h.01%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-gis::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M3 6l6-2 6 2 6-2v14l-6 2-6-2-6 2z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M9 4v14M15 6v14%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-optimize::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%225%22 r=%222.2%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%225%22 cy=%2218%22 r=%222.2%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2219%22 cy=%2218%22 r=%222.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M10.8 7L6.2 16M13.2 7l4.6 9M7.2 18h9.6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-synthesis::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 20l3.5-1L19 7.5 15.5 4 4 15.5z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M13 6.5l3.5 3.5M4 20l1-3.5%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M14 20h6M16 16.5h4%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-conference::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%223%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 3a9 9 0 0 1 9 9%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 21a9 9 0 0 1-9-9%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M19.5 9.5L21 12l-2.5.8M4.5 14.5L3 12l2.5-.8%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-multilogue::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 12h6%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M10 12c3 0 3-6 6-6h4M10 12h10M10 12c3 0 3 6 6 6h4%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%224%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%221.5%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-pulse::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%23c47a12%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%223%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%228%22 stroke-dasharray=%223 3%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-ic-record::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 7h16M4 12h16M4 17h16%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 5v14M20 5v14%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }

/* series glyph on inquiry cards */
.otw-card-series::before { content: ""; display: inline-block; width: 16px; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; margin-right: 5px;
background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; }
.otw-series-vitalrail .otw-card-series::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M7 3v18M17 3v18M5 7h14M5 12h14M5 17h14%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-series-re-forest .otw-card-series::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 3l5 7h-3l4 5h-4l3 5H7l3-5H6l4-5H7z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 20v2%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-series-emip .otw-card-series::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5l8 4.6v9.8l-8 4.6-8-4.6V7.1z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5v19M4 7.1l8 4.6 8-4.6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-series-re-stem .otw-card-series::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5l8 4.6v9.8l-8 4.6-8-4.6V7.1z%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M12 2.5v19M4 7.1l8 4.6 8-4.6%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }

/* zone headings get a marker */
.otw-zone-head h2::before, .otw-zone-head .mw-heading2 h2::before { content: ""; display: inline-block; width: 26px; height: 26px;
vertical-align: -4px; margin-right: 10px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; }
.otw-zone-active .otw-zone-head h2::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%23c47a12%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%223%22/%3E%3Ccircle cx=%2212%22 cy=%2212%22 r=%228%22 stroke-dasharray=%223 3%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }
.otw-zone-record .otw-zone-head h2::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 viewBox=%220 0 24 24%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%231c3557%22 stroke-width=%221.8%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 7h16M4 12h16M4 17h16%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M4 5v14M20 5v14%22/%3E%3C/svg%3E"); }

/* phase track drawn as a length of track */
.otw-track { position: relative; padding: 6px 0; }
.otw-track::before { content: ""; position: absolute; left: 0; right: 0; top: 50%; height: 8px; margin-top: -4px; z-index: 0;
background:
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) top / 100% 1px no-repeat,
linear-gradient(var(--otw-line), var(--otw-line)) bottom / 100% 1px no-repeat,
repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0 8px, var(--otw-line) 8px 10px); }
.otw-track { justify-content: space-between; gap: 4px; }
.otw-track-step { position: relative; z-index: 1; padding: 2px 8px; font-size: 0.95em; white-space: nowrap; }
.otw-track-arrow { display: none; }
.otw-track-current { box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px #fff; }

/* join band texture */
.otw-join-band { background-color: var(--otw-ink); background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 width=%2280%22 height=%2280%22 viewBox=%220 0 80 80%22 fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%23ffffff%22 stroke-width=%221.3%22%3E%3Cg opacity=%220.13%22%3E%3Cpath d=%22M-4 84 L84 -4%22 transform=%22translate(-4 -4)%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M-4 84 L84 -4%22 transform=%22translate(4 4)%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M-0.2 71.8 L8.2 80.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M15.8 55.8 L24.2 64.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M31.8 39.8 L40.2 48.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M47.8 23.8 L56.2 32.2%22/%3E%3Cpath d=%22M63.8 7.8 L72.2 16.2%22/%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/svg%3E"), linear-gradient(135deg, #1c3557 0%, #274a78 100%); }

/* record cards lift slightly on hover */
.otw-card { transition: transform .15s ease, box-shadow .15s ease; }
.otw-zone-record .otw-card:hover { transform: translateY(-2px); box-shadow: 0 6px 16px rgba(28,53,87,.10); }

.otw-zone-record .otw-card:hover { transform: translateY(-2px); box-shadow: 0 6px 16px rgba(28,53,87,.10); }

/* ---- Sidebar (Vector 2022 main menu): photo-backed card + bold section headings -----
Matches the look already live on the current site. Reuses that site's own background
asset rather than a fresh upload; swap the url() below if a local copy is preferred. */
body {
background: #0f2233 url("https://ontrackworld.com/resources/assets/Background.jpg") center top / cover no-repeat fixed;
}
.mw-page-container {
background: transparent !important;
}
#content {
background: #fff;
margin: 16px 16px 16px 0;
padding: 20px 26px 26px;
border-radius: 8px;
box-shadow: 0 6px 16px rgba(10,20,30,.15);
box-sizing: border-box;
}
.vector-header-container {
background: #fff;
}
#vector-main-menu-dropdown .vector-dropdown-content,
#vector-main-menu-pinned-container,
#vector-page-titlebar-toc .vector-dropdown-content,
#vector-toc-pinned-container {
background: var(--otw-paper);
border-radius: 8px;
margin: 16px 0 16px 16px;
padding: 18px 16px 24px;
box-sizing: border-box;
box-shadow: 0 6px 16px rgba(10,20,30,.18);
}
#mw-panel .vector-menu-heading,
#vector-main-menu .vector-menu-heading {
font-weight: 700 !important;
color: #1a1a1a !important;
font-size: 1.02em !important;
}

/* ---- Home Page: larger body paragraph text ---------------------------- */
.page-Home_Page #mw-content-text p {
font-size: 17px;
line-height: 1.6;
}
/* :where() keeps this at zero specificity so the existing, more specific
card/join-band heading rules above still win inside those components --
this only affects plain body sub-headlines like "We have a challenge
ahead of us." that aren't inside any of those. */
.page-Home_Page :where(.mw-heading5) {
font-size: 20px;
color: var(--otw-ink);
margin: 1.5em 0 0.4em;
}

MediaWiki:Common.css

2026-09-14T20:00:09Z

CNeiss: Sync sidebar CSS block

Geographic Initiatives

2026-09-14T19:57:52Z

CNeiss: Formatting cleanup only -- no wording changes

OnTrackWorld is the continental initiative for stakeholders from all over to coordinate their natural resources and industrial supply chains. Each of the three countries can support national initiatives, and the states and provinces within each can enhance their position in a continental and global "Silk Network" of industrial and logistics activity. Multiple states or provinces can also coordinate regionally, as can counties, municipalities, cities, and towns.

== Geographic Regions for OTW Planning and Action ==
OTW Geographic Planning Regions are local, corridor, state/province, regional/multi-state, national, and continental. Initiatives are cataloged here as Potential, In Development, and In Gear, as they are conceived and advanced by stakeholder groups.

== State/Province ==

=== Potential ===
* 50 US States
* 31 Mexican States
* 13 Canadian Provinces and Territories

=== In Development ===
* OnTrackworld/Nevada
* [[OnTrackPennsylvania|OnTrackworld/Pennsylvania]]
* [[OnTrackAlaska|OnTrackworld/Alaska]]

=== In Gear ===

== Corridor ==

=== Potential ===

=== In Development ===
* Dallas to Texarkana I30 Corridor Strategy
* San Francisco Bay ports to Salt Lake City I80 Corridor Strategy
* San Pedro Bay ports to Salt Lake City I15 Corridor

=== In Gear ===

== Regional/Multi-state ==

=== Potential ===
* Southeast Supply Chain Coalition

=== In Development ===
* Southwest Supply Chain Coalition

=== In Gear ===

== Local ==

=== Potential ===
* OnTrackworld/Philadelphia

=== In Development ===

=== In Gear ===

== National ==

=== Potential ===
* OnTrackworld/Mexico
* OnTrackworld/Canada
* OnTrackworld/US

=== In Development ===

=== In Gear ===

== Continental ==
* OnTrackworld/NorthAmerica

[[Category:Geographic Initiatives]]

Industrial Systems Initiatives

2026-09-14T19:52:27Z

CNeiss: Formatting cleanup only -- no wording changes

''Industrial Systems Initiatives are the strategies and actions needed for amplifying the profitability and sustainability of whole industrial systems, including the complete set of commercial, policy, and planning activities.''

== In Gear ==
* [[VitalRail|VitalRail, Growing Freight Rail Carloads and Sustainable Industrial Systems]]
* [[RE-FOREST|RE-FOREST, Sustainable Forestry and Wood Products]]
* [[EMIP|EMIP, Essential Minerals Industrial Planning]]

== In Development ==
* RE-CARD, Cement and Aggregates Regional Distribution
* RE-POWER, Rail Enabled Power Distribution
* RE-GLASS, Glass Logistics and Sustainable Supply
* FTLUS, Freight Transportation Land Use Strategy
* RE-BAR, Brownfield Asset Redevelopment

== Future ==
Do you want to suggest and/or even co-lead OTNA's work in other industries? Although, our initial focus is on rail's contribution to industrial productivity, our initiatives are designed to improve all industries that can benefit from collaborative progress.

=== Agriculture ===
* Inputs: Land, Soil, Soil Enhancements, Water
* Processing
* Outputs: Food, Energy, Nutrient material

=== Forestry ===
* [[RE-FOREST|RE-FOREST, Sustainable Forestry and Wood Products]]: Wood, Pulp, Paper

=== Mining ===
* Minerals: [[EMIP|EMIP, Essential Minerals Industrial Planning]]
* Metals
* Coal
* Oil and Gas

=== Manufacturing ===
* Metals
* Chemicals
* Equipment
* Textiles

=== Materials ===
* Containers and Packaging
* Construction Materials: Cement and Aggregates (RE-CARD, Cement and Aggregates Regional Distribution), Refractory, Lumber
* Metals
* Plastics
* Paper

=== Construction ===
* Factories
* Warehouses
* Powerplants
* Mechanical and structural components

=== Energy ===
* RE-POWER, Rail Enabled Power Distribution

=== Transportation ===
* Rail: [[VitalRail|VitalRail, A Continental Strategy for Growing Freight Rail Service]]
* Truck
* Air
* Ports
* Ocean
* River Barge
* Pipelines

=== Waste ===
* Industrial
* Commercial
* Municipal: Glass (RE-GLASS, Glass Logistics and Sustainable Supply)
* Construction and demolition waste
* Agricultural
* Wood waste

=== Natural Resources ===
When deciding how best to streamline an existing industrial system, stakeholders must evaluate all elements within and affected by that system.
* Water
* Air
* Land: FTLUS, Freight Transportation Land Use Strategy; RE-BAR, Brownfield Asset Redevelopment

[[Category:Industrial Systems Initiatives]]