Schweitzer: "Montana is Energy Country"

Schweitzer hasn't been one to let the facts get in the way (0.00 / 0)

If his mouth is a flappin', he's probably a lyin'.

He did the same (and worse) with Otter Creek.  He bought tribal administration (I note "administration" because many tribal members spoke out against Otter Creek) support by promising them a nice slice of the "thousands" of jobs the god-awful project would create.

If Schweitzer was telling the truth about all these jobs his carbo-based dream quest has taken us these last 5+years, Montana would be running a negative unemployment rate.

The world - the WORLD (China, Europe)- is changing with regards to energy yet he still continues his coal and oil empire building.

Montana will be left to eat the dust of Oregon and Washington and Wyoming's wind development.

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by: jhwygirl @ Sat Aug 14, 2010 at 18:28:22 PM UTC

If MSTI were really a "green" project (0.00 / 0)

I might support it (even though I'd still resent the ugly 185-foot towers marching down and across the Beaverhead River.  And I'd also resent the negative impact on recreation, tourism, agriculture, and health in my county.  

But the governor is (to be more polite than I should be) misrepresenting it.  It's nothing but a boon to the coal industry and NorthWestern Energy.  I've heard he's even trying to get federal stimulus money to perpetrate it.

MSTI is a scam!

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by: Turner @ Sat Aug 14, 2010 at 19:49:29 PM UTC

He mistrepresented Otter Creek (0.00 / 0)

in a huge way.  Then he went and took that school trust money and put it in the general budget when it should have went directly to schools.

Even more ironically, McCulloch, who made the motion to increase the "bonus bid" said she did so for schools, and upon final approval went and turned to the public and said that it was our job to make sure it went to the schools.

All that after she promised to make sure that it went to an over and above funding for the schools.

I am sorely SORELY disappointed in many Democrats in the state. This occurs on two levels - both the electeds (not all of them, though - Denise Juneau is a very bright shining star in my book) - and voters who have basically given Brian a free ride. I know that comes through.  

I'm one angry Progressive nowadays.  It's sad....for the first time in my life I am intentionally trying to avoid politics because of the frustration I feel.

It isn't just Otter Creek - it is coal-to-liquids plan (which is now being battled on the Crow Reservation, along with the massive misappropriation of water rights).  It's his claim to be doing so much for wind energy, when in reality it's been very little.  He highlights Judith Gap, yet that was approved by Judy Martz!  Every project approved has made Montana, more and more - and just like MSTI, as you have explained - a colonial outpost for states that have more manufacturing and a higher median income than Montana.  

Schweitzer hasn't involved himself in the legislative process at all.  He could be calling for tax credits for wind energy investment and wind energy manufacturing. We could have greater credits based on the number of jobs created here in Montana.  But each legislative session, he's done nada.  

I've been following MSTI - Beaverhead County sued to try and halt the project, no?

Recreation is the largest growing industry in the state of Montana.  That is directly from the state's website.  With crappy projects like MSTI and Otter Creek we are more and more moving away from being the last best place.

Wind is clean energy.  Recreation brings both clean jobs and tourists willing to pay a premium for everything from lodging to toys to food to outfitting.  All with little impact to the environment.

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by: jhwygirl @ Sun Aug 15, 2010 at 01:50:10 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Jefferson County sued (0.00 / 0)

Beaverhead hasn't yet.  I don't have the details of the suit.

Thanks for the background.  It's too bad that protests against abuses by big corporations and their political friends only flare up regionally.  We need coordinated statewide opposition.  We need to expand the notion of what our back yard is.

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by: Turner @ Sun Aug 15, 2010 at 13:47:45 PM UTC

Exactly. (0.00 / 0)

(I was talking about this last night, actually.)

We need people to pay more attention to state politics, and not state celebrities.

Montanans do great at following what is happening in Washington, and what is happening down the street - but as for Helena, I believe it is sorely overlooked.

Paid industry lobbyists have far too much influence up in Helena.  On the other hand, very few people pay attention to the legislative session and interim session - yet alone write or contact their reps or the committees.

We wouldn't be in this situation if the opposite were true.

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by: jhwygirl @ Sun Aug 15, 2010 at 15:17:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

An Atta-Boy for the Guv (0.00 / 0)

Its about time we put more emphasis on tapping all the energy sources we have in this state- and letting the energy users around the country pick up more of the states operating tab, rather than stick it on the local landowners with increased property taxes..
Better we keep our energy expenses in Montana than send it to some sandpit country in the mideast that can hold us hostage any time they want to...

And I can't believe some people can't see that we will not get the wind energy and other green energy production until we get the transmission infrastructure in place to do something with it...
Build it and they will come.....

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by: Oldtimer @ Tue Aug 17, 2010 at 18:50:24 PM UTC

Yeah, sure: build it, blah, blah, blah (0.00 / 0)

"Build it and they will come..." and take it all away and sell it to the highest out-of-state bidder. Again.

That's what Montana Power (and its descendant Touch America did before they went bankrupt) did. We've gone from an abundant supply of cheap clean power--one of the cheapest sources in the country--to a dependency on digging coal and burning it for power, one of the most expensive. Or importing tar sand oil from Canada--one of the most egregious forms of energy exploitation.

No matter what kind of power is developed in Montana, it will go to the highest bidder in this era of dereg. Which means that our power costs will always be set by California, Las Vegas, and Arizona markets. And that power with the highest margin and "greenest" will be sold to the highest bidder, which will never be Northwestern Energy.

No, we've been relegated to third world status, where our clean and cheap power has been, and will continue to be, exported and we've been left to scrap what power we can from expensive dirty sources like coal.

Answer? Take back the dams. Or at least tax the hell out of the ground they sit on and use the proceeds to develop clean alternative sources of energy that the people of Montana own, or have exclusive rights to.

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by: JC @ Tue Aug 17, 2010 at 20:24:02 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Schweitzer = DLC Pig (0.00 / 0)

     Schweitzer is a DLC Capitalist PIG

          What do you expect?

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by: Darwin26 @ Wed Aug 18, 2010 at 01:31:09 AM UTC

Inconvenient Truths (0.00 / 0)

I received the governor's MSTI form letter and came away perplexed. Does he think Montanans are simple bumpkins?

Inconvenient truths about MSTI:

• Transmission lines are old-school energy, losing upwards of 30 percent of the brown energy in transit. Not to mention killing jobs and impacting the economy of towns on the line.

• The governor wants us to believe Montana wind could more than cancel out Colstrip. Problem is it won't and it can't. Colstrip power will have to firm Montana wind power and overall demand isn't going to drop. Colstrip will continue to generate at current capacity for years to come. Are we going to be proud of Montana's net contribution to the carbon footprint*?

• The governor is trying to pigeon-hole Montanans who oppose the him as "not doing their part and being against wind and a clean, renewable energy future." Gimme a break. This is classic, misleading, simplistic political-speak.

• Montana wind development is a political cover for elected officials and for coal. For wind and transmission developers it's profit motive, but not profit motive in a free-enterprise, Jeffersonian sense because a substantial percentage of profit will be provided by taxpayers through government grants and loans. No gov, we are not bumpkins.

• The United States wastes 70% of the energy produced and still we persist in producing more - more to be sold, used and wasted. This might be a good deal for those who generate, distribute and sell electrical power, but it's certainly not good for the environment or rate payers, and, ultimately the country.

• Currently there are 109 new coal plants are at some stage of planning or development in the United States. The climate bill is dead and "big coal" interests hold sway in the Congress. Gee, does the governor really believe we cannot connect the dots?

• The governor knows energy - mine more coal, collect more coal taxes. If just 1/2 of Otter Creek's coal is eventually converted or burned...Montana will be a major net C02 contributor - and will pump C02 into the atmosphere at a rate of 253 million tons a year, 239 more than we'll be "saving" from NWE's proposed wind generation.

These are just a few inconvenient truths... Let's tell the emperor that he is indeed "naked" - we can indeed see through the falsehoods.

Do our elected officials really want the legacy of tearing up our amazing state forever on false pretense?

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by: urserious @ Wed Aug 18, 2010 at 03:46:54 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I have to Chuckle (0.00 / 0)

I Chuckle because all those living in the western part of the state (Billings West) don't seem to mind taking all the profits off the energy dollars coming into the state from Eastern Montana (coal fields, Bakken field, natural gas fields, BNSF, etc. etc.) and putting it in the state coffers- but when they are asked to put up their fair share to contribute to the welfare of the state-or build upon our energy infrastructure to expand- they dribble down their legs and start shaking about actually having to contribute...

Then some of the Greeny-Weenies even have the gall to come over to eastern Montana and try to get their national/world followers (Prairie Foundation/WWF )to try and get the government to take huge portions (multi counties) of the best cattle grazing country/industry in the US and turn it into buffalo commons while removing it from all production or energy development....

I guess some of you are back in the 60's era when  I grew up with your thinking- and  think we should all live on free love, government handouts, hairy legged girlfriends,a one room cabin on a mountain, and a wood stove or buffalo chips for energy... Didn't work then- won't work now....

I'm an Independent- but very supportive of Progress- and now I'm seeing the Liberal Left saying "NO" to progress just the same the same as the Conservative right has said "NO" to progress the last couple of years...

The Democrat party  of Montana I've known for so long- and pretty well represented by Governor Schweitzer is losing its way!!!

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by: Oldtimer @ Wed Aug 18, 2010 at 03:29:06 AM UTC

"losing its way!" (0.00 / 0)

You're just upset the world isn't going your way, because, you know, you're an oldtimer who thinks he knows it all.

And "fair share"??? Who are you to determine what is fair, and what is not? And how does geographic location have anything to do with "contributing to the welfare of the state"? I lived next to the train tracks in Missoula for many years, and had to breath the dust rolling off of unit coal trains headed to the coast to ship the coal to Japan, and live with the noise pollution. We have high voltage transmission lines and gas lines coming through western Montana.

And Greenie Weenies? Puhleeze, that's such kid-speak. And what's the matter with replacing cattle with buffalo? I worked on a buffalo ranch for years out here in western Montana. Buffalo meat is quite preferable to cow. And the animal is easier on the land, and takes much less effort to manage. Montana would be a far better place if we would expand buffalo ranching and decrease cattle ranching.

Of course, you're more upset with the notion of a "commons" meaning you don't need to chop up the landscape with a bunch of fences in order to return the prairie to a more natural and healthy condition. You're so caught up in a feudal notion of the old west with every rancher and their little fifedom walled in with barbed wire, that you can't look at alternative methods of land management that provide a more diverse population of animals and plants. You know, doing your part to help make Montana a better and more vibrant place in the 21st century.

No, Oldtimer, you're stuck in an anachronistic mindset that hasn't evolved out of a preschool, 19th century mentality.

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by: JC @ Wed Aug 18, 2010 at 15:05:53 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Is this the New Montana Democrats? (0.00 / 0)

If this is the direction the Democrat party is moving- that a middle of the roader Governor like Schweitzer that can see alternative energy sources will take some time and sacrifice and the need to build infrastucture to handle both it and the energy sources we have- is scorned by them- then I predict the Dem party taking a terrible arse kicking at upcoming polls- and the Montana legislature controlled by the Repubs again...

If any of these buffalo commons or national monuments in Montana that are overwhelmingly opposed by the majority of eastern Montanans come to fruition- Baucus, Tester, and any national candidate from Montana with a (D) by their name might as well start drawing retirement - because they won't be in office....

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by: Oldtimer @ Thu Aug 19, 2010 at 17:34:57 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Wow! (0.00 / 0)

Now THAT'S some serious ANALysis, dude!  Where you from, little fella?  Still stuck in the old buffalo commons.  You're from Wisconsin, aren't you?  But hey, since you're an "odd timer", tell us something that ONLY someone completely familiar with eastern Montana would know.  You're a phony, dude.  It's writ large all OVER you.  You from eastern Montana, boy?  Where?

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by: Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers! @ Fri Aug 20, 2010 at 04:32:58 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Public Meeting on MSTI: Whitehall, Tomorrow with NWE Rep and Co. Commissioners (0.00 / 0)

There is a MSTI meeting sponsored by the Jefferson County Commissioners on Wednesday, August 25th at 6 p.m. in Whitehall at the High School Varsity Gym. Please try to attend this meeting. Ask the NWE representative tough questions. Learn more about this important issue.

There is a also is a meeting on the Lewis and Clark Trail, where testimony will be allowed on the impacts of the MSTI line on the Trail. Individuals with experience working on the Lewis and Clark Trail will attend that meeting and make sure the National Park Service understands the catastrophic impacts of MSTI on the National Historic Trail.

MSTI will hurt your neighbors, their livelihood and will raise your rates. MSTI is based on a false premise - the promise of green wind energy. The line will only accommodate upwards of 15 percent wind energy, the rest will be coal. This is old-school, irresponsible energy policy that benefits NWE shareholders, not Montanans. Let's not allow the industrialization of Big Sky Country. Be heard, learn more!

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by: urserious @ Tue Aug 24, 2010 at 18:00:01 PM UTC