I’m often asked about our consumption of natural resources, e.g., oil, iron, and copper. Since these resources are finite and population continues to grow, aren’t we in danger of running out? My short answer is no, we’ll never run out of anything that trades in the marketplace. But, we should be concerned about running out […]
Read More
Most Americans are conflicted and inconsistent regarding their energy preferences and priorities. They tell pollsters they want to stop global warming and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Yet they squeal bitterly when energy costs rise, balk at views spoiled by wind farms, are leery of nuclear power (the only alternative that can really make a […]
Read More
When friends visit, they always comment on the attractiveness of downtown Bozeman. It’s really a gem. Downtown property owners and the City of Bozeman are trying to raise awareness to an increase in “petty” crimes. Perhaps they can motivate people in the same manner that the Gallatin Valley Human Rights Task Force did when a […]
Read More
Montana’s Public Service Commission has unanimously rejected an Australian firm’s offer to buy NorthWestern Energy. In a recent column, I explored the historical context for Montana’s wariness to deals involving outsiders. Several readers whom I respect confused my explanation with opposition. I don’t know why the PSC denied the deal, but they are too sophisticated […]
Read More
Executives from the Australian firm of Babcock and Brown Infrastructure (BBI) are wondering why their offer to buy Northwestern Energy is generating such resistance. The explanation is simple: Montanans believe they’ve seen this movie before and they don’t like the ending. Here’s why. The company, based in the Sydney down under, raises ghosts from our […]
Read More
Here’s another observation from my recent visit to Nicaragua: poverty is the worst polluter. In a country where one half of the population lives in poverty and 25 percent of its 5.5 million people struggle to survive on less than one dollar per day, environmental protection is not a high priority. I wonder how Roger, […]
Read More
Like most of you I take safety, comfort, and a clean environment as givens. A recent trip to Nicaragua reminded me they are not. (Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. Only Haiti is poorer). My trip offered several take home messages. Here’s one. I have a wristband that reads, “I buy […]
Read More
A Climate Change Caucus in the Montana legislature has been formed by Bozeman Representative Mike Phillips and his colleagues. One of their goals is to explore policy options to address global warming. The Caucus has consulted with local experts, including MSU’s Susan Capalbo, an economist who directs the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Project. This effort […]
Read More
Those pressing for immediate reductions in carbon dioxide emissions face big problems. Here’s one; the prospect of cooling the planet through geoengineering. The people working on this are serious scientists and analysts, not lackeys of Senator Robert Byrd’s (D-WVA) mountain-top removing, coal industry cronies. Rather, they include Paul Crutzen, winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize […]
Read More
Why is Iran risking so much in its quest for nuclear power? Iran’s government claims nuclear power is necessary given the domestic energy situation. The Bush administration declares this petroleum-rich state cannot possibly need nuclear power to meet domestic energy demands, and, thus, Iran’s push for nuclear power must have more nefarious ends. Is Iran […]
Read More