A STRATEGY FOR INVESTMENT IN MONTANA
My priorities are to ensure Montana is the leader of the green revolution. My main goal is job creation, and this will be her number one priority as a representative of the Treasure State.
I envision a new Rocky Mountain high technology corridor that straddles both sides of the Rocky Mountain Front and fans out into the eastern plains. The foundation for such a new economy is clean energy. Montana is second in the nation for its wind energy potential. Business and investment will follow this affordable, renewable and clean energy.
As a small business start-up, my spouse and I understand that more technology capital is needed in Montana. Montana is at the bottom in availability of funds to start technology driven companies. I would like to see more efforts to attract capital to the state to create jobs.
EDUCATION-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS
I will work to expand the the MSU-COT wind technology program; enabling Great Falls to truly live up to its unofficial name: the Windy City. I will work to enact legislation creating a jointly owned Little Shell/Rocky Boy Band wind turbine plant. The reasoning is there is no major U.S. manufacturer of turbines that can service the Montana and regional development needs. Denmark, a half a world away, makes 60% of the world’s turbines. Why not make these at home, create jobs and create the kind of Montana/regional/Canada/tribal partnerships to service the nuts and bolts of the wind economy?
From turbine building to building and connecting a smart grid; such as the Wind Spirit Project–Montanans can create lasting jobs, a viable and needed new sector in the green economy, and fuel a Montana resurgence built on this new proposed corridor.
THE FEDERAL SECTOR
I will reorganize and prioritize CDBG block grant funds to targeted job creation throughout Montana, particularly in urban and reservation areas of chronic, high unemployment. The CDBG funding program is a built-in resource that just needs to be re-directed at the Other leading agricultural commodities are wheat (ranking fifth in the United States), barley, dairy products, sugar beets, hat, hogs, sheep and lambs.federal level to target job creation. This is a deficit neutral way to ensure jobs are created where they are needed most. As it is now, some communities use the CDBG funds as a slush fund; this defeats the goal.
THE HEALTH CARE ECONOMY
With the call for new electronic records administration–I will work to develop Montana companies to meet this modern day challenge. Speed and efficiency in health care are key to controlling costs that are at the core of health care reform. Montana can benefit from advances in health technology and telemedicine; connecting and improving health care in rural Montana on par with the urban areas.
MONTANA’S LIFE BLOOD: AGRICULTURE, TRAVEL & TOURISM, TIMBER & MINING
The state’s leading agricultural commodities are wheat (ranking fifth in the United States), barley, dairy products, sugar beets, hogs, sheep and lambs.
I support the continuation of the 2008 Farm Bill energy provisions with respect to the following, to be incorporated into the 2012 bill, with the caveat that it is likely there will be increased effort to regulate the Farm Bill consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA:
the Ethanol Excise Tax Credit that reduces the cost of production
tax credit for celulosic biofuel production
the small producer tax credit on ethanol and biofuel
the continuation of repowereing assistance
continued mandatory funding for development of advanced biofuels
continuation of Sec. 9007 of the USDA Rural Energy for America Program
continued funding of biomass research and development
increase of the Rural Energy Self Sufficiency Initiative; I support an increase
I support the biomass crop assistance program, the forest biomass program, and the community woods energy program, all vital components of the Farm Bill.
It is important to note efforts are underway to apply NEPA to the 2012 Farm Bill, and this will likely lead to a greater effort to ensure provisions of the farm bill do not contribute to climate change. I believe this is inevitable.