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Of Montana Issues
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The Future of Coal
In 2016, the State of Montana received $54 million in severance taxes related to coal production that year, and the $1 billion Coal Trust Fund contributed $10 million to infrastructure and development budgets in the state. While the coal industry employs roughly 1900 workers in mining, transportation and energy production, employment in that industry has been declining in recent years, and several coal development projects have been postponed or cancelled entirely.
At the same time, the production of natural gas in Montana has increased steadily in the last few years, and employment in that sector has followed, though the rate of growth has slowed each of the last several years. A 2014 study of green energy projected the potential that wind and solar production could create as many as 4000 jobs in the short run and as many as 1300 permanent positions. The economic impact of energy production on Montana is undeniable.
At the same time, the production of natural gas in Montana has increased steadily in the last few years, and employment in that sector has followed, though the rate of growth has slowed each of the last several years. A 2014 study of green energy projected the potential that wind and solar production could create as many as 4000 jobs in the short run and as many as 1300 permanent positions. The economic impact of energy production on Montana is undeniable.
The evolving employment and economic impacts of energy in Montana are not so clear, and the difficulty is compounded further by changes nationally in demand and regulatory climate, to say nothing of what global dynamics - technological shifts, political and social swings, and demand changes, among
...An informed people is the basis of, and a necessity for, successful democratic government. The people of the United States are entitled to hear all sides to a question whether it be political, economic, social, racial or religious.
Senator Burton K. Wheeler
Public Policy Resources
Baucus Defeats Provision to Undermine Energy Security, Jobs
YouTube
Energy
Daines: Montanans Know Best How to Protect our Resources
KTVQ / YouTube
Energy
Energy-related CO2 emissions from natural gas surpass coal as fuel use patterns change
August 17, 2016From 1990 to about 2005, consumption of coal and natural gas in the United States was relatively similar, but their emissions were different.
Energy
Lower Yellowstone Intake Diversion Dam Fish Passage Project; near Glendive, Montana
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation jointly issued a Final EIS for the Lower Yellowstone Intake Diversion Dam Fish Passage Project, a proposal to improve passage for endangered pallid sturgeon and other native fish at the Intake Diversion Dam in the lower Yellowstone River while continuing the operation of the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project. DOE’s Western Area Power Administration was a cooperating agency in preparing the EIS because some alternatives include power interconnection, transmission, and/or delivery options.
U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation & U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Energy
Non-Partisan Political Exploration
The Burton K. Wheeler Center for Public Policy in Bozeman, MT, promotes the discussion, analysis and eventual resolution of critical issues facing Montana and the region. The Center holds conferences, sponsors research and lectures, publishes conference reports and maintains this webpage for Montanans and others who are seeking solutions to some of today's most pressing issues and problems.
The Center is located at Montana State University, Culbertson Hall Room 335, Bozeman, MT 59715. We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding our activities and conference topics. Please visit us or contact us.