Kids across America love Halloween; they get to don wild costumes and wander house to house collecting candy into the late evening hours, for no particular reason. But in truth, this is a mutually beneficial night, allowing parents to reconnect with neighborhood kids and marvel at the wild costumes for the small price of a few chocolate bars. Montana has discovered its own Halloween recently.
The opportunity is a mutually beneficial project in which a variety of companies will help update our scenic state highways using local labor for the right to ship equipment to Canada. The Kearl transportation project as it has become known is unfortunately being threatened by a masked hooligan: politically motivated international groups indifferent to the plight of Montanans who have attempted to hijack the issue for their own gain.
The Kearl shipments along Highway 12 are an important boon to local employment and particularly critical to contracting jobs. I know, because my own members in the Montana Contractors’ Association have desperately needed contracts on the line – employment opportunities that will support local workers and keep families afloat in tough times.
New road surface repairs, new and improved turnouts, modified overhead signs and bond payments on new repairs are all critical infrastructure investments to our rural roads in Montana. By generating an estimated $68 million in economic benefit for Montana, these shipments will ensure that local jobs are created today, and growth is sustained for the future.
However, outside groups have drowned out this reality in their efforts to shut down these shipments. The National Resource Defense Council has generated the majority of public comments in opposition to the project, taking our local jobs and investment hostage to their global agenda. Instead of asking locals about their economic conditions and the prospects of new contracting opportunities that mean jobs and growth, outside interferers have used mass e-mails to mobilize folks who don’t care about Montana. This project is about local jobs and local growth for Montana, and should not be held hostage to political agendas.
Furthermore, these shipments have been planned with safety and the environment as the foremost concern. The Kearl project has been working with state authorities in Montana and Idaho for over two years, including state police and through environmental assessments, to ensure that the shipments are done in the safest and most environmentally conscious way. Highway 12 will remain the safe and scenic route we know it to be, but will be improved for the future through these infrastructure investments.
Outside groups attempting to make this a national political issue are seizing the future growth of Montana’s businesses from our hands. Though others are unlikely to admit it, oversize permits are an integral part of all commerce, in Montana and across the nation. While this project is by no means unique in requesting oversized permits, its commitment to Montana’s rural highways and infrastructure is unique. Using local contractors to update our roads demonstrates a commitment to Montana and a best practice for others to follow when shipping within the state.
During this economic downturn, Montana needs to focus on developing locally for future growth. By blocking the permits for this project, our state risks creating a terrible precedent for projects down the road. While this project may be focused on shipments to our critical energy industry, future shipping involving mining, forestry and agriculture are all put at risk for complicated delays if we shutter this proposal. Gov. Brian Schweitzer has signaled his commitment to supporting this project, and we should applaud his efforts in promoting future economic activity for Montana. With the national economy struggling and local communities and business desperate for relief, Montana cannot afford to ignore this $68 million investment in jobs and growth.
Don’t be fooled by clever disguises. The Kearl project is mutually beneficial for the state and the companies desiring passage. In fact, by cultivating this opportunity, Montana could actually chase off the real boogeyman of late; the recession.
Cary Hegreberg is the executive director of the Montana Contractors’ Association.