The energy summit in Bozeman Governors, Montana, Policy Issues

Six governors are headed today to Bozeman, Montana for an energy summit convened by the Governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer. They're taking a look at the full range of energy topics, according to the AP: "skyrocketing energy prices, the economic impact of energy development, environmental concerns, coal-to-gas technology and tribal perspectives on energy development."

Earlier today, I joined a group of bloggers chatting with Governor Schweitzer and he made clear his view about where leadership is coming from on energy issue. The energy summit, Schweitzer argued, is going to "challenge everything we think we know about energy consumption, production, and conservation." And he argued, the bold ideas "are going to come from the states, from these governors."

As for our nation's leaders?

"If you've looked to Congress to lead, forget about it. This is the best Congress money can buy. There's enough money in big oil to buy Congress for years into the future. We have to look to the states for leadership."

He argued that President Bush should have stood on the rubble of the World Trade Center and made a Kennedy-to-the-Moon or Nixon-to-China -style declaration and pledged to invest $300 billion in eliminating our dependence on foreign oil.

Instead, said Schweitzer:

"I look at the $250 billion on budget for the war, $300 billion off budget for iraq, and we've doubled the price of a gallon of oil. ... Let's be honest: If we weren't dependent on oil from the Mideast, we wouldn't be there."

What's Schweitzer's solution? Well, he's arguing for the full range of solutions, including conservation, biodiesel, wind power, etc. Recently, Montana moved from 50th in the nation in wind power production to 15th - when he cut the ribbon on their first major wind project.

In addition to the usual-suspects solutions, Brian Schweitzer argued for building a "bridge to the future" in the form of zero-emission coal liquifaction. What's that? In short, it's a way to "convert coal into individual hydrogens, oxygens, and carbons and then synthesize diesel, gasoline, and aviation fuels."

Schweitzer's clean coal idea (vastly different than the coal industry's all-PR "clean coal" scrubbers) isn't some futuristic dream. Again and again, he argued, "We can do this now. This isn't someday, somewhere over the rainbow."

The environmental questions, he agreed, "are fair game." But, he argues, making diesel and gasoline in America is critical to our foreign policy: Referring to Saudi support of Wahhabbist extremists, Al Qaeda, and Hamas, he said "a portion of the money that you put in your gas tank is making it to the pockets of the people who are opposed to our way of life."

[Oregon-specific edition posted at BlueOregon.com.]

Kari Chisholm | October 17, 2005 | Comment on This Post (2 so far) Permalink: The energy summit in Bozeman Governors, Montana, Policy Issues

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