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NEWS
Schweitzer Decries ‘Petro Dictators,’ Props Up
Alternative Energy in New Book
Three years after leaving governor’s mansion, Schweitzer says he’s not thinking about returning to elected office
Brian Schweitzer discusses his book, Power Up.energy. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
WHITEFISH – Three years after leav- ing the governor’s mansion in Helena, Brian Schweitzer is back in the saddle promoting a new book about alternative energy.
On Friday, the fast-talking former governor held a small press conference outside of the O’Shaughnessy Center where he proved that he still has a knack for being a showman. In the book, titled “Power Up.energy,” Schweitzer decries “petro dictators,” criticizes America’s “oil wars” and writes that the nation needs to quickly develop its own clean and renewable energy.
“We need an energy system that is clean, green and American made,” Sch- weitzer said. “The number one thing I want people to get from this book is that there is hope and that we don’t need to have wars over energy.”
Schweitzer said America could reduce its reliance on foreign oil if it did more to develop natural gas, solar and wind power, as well as battery technology to store that power. The former governor proposed a system by which vehicles automatically purchase power at night when it’s less expensive and then use it during the day to power the owner’s home and commute. He also said vehicles could automatically sell power from their batteries during the day when prices are high, enabling the owner to earn extra money as well.
Before being elected governor in 2004, Schweitzer was a soil scientist and worked overseas, including in Saudi Ara- bia. He also owns and operates a ranch near Whitefish. On one of his first days as
governor in January 2005, he said he flew to Troy to attend the funeral of a solider that had been killed in Iraq. Schweitzer said he was frustrated that soldiers were dying in a war that was, in his opinion, about oil.
“During all of those funerals I thought how ludicrous it was for us to be tied to an energy that was controlled by petro dic- tators,” he said.
While in office, Schweitzer made an impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2008, prompting supporters to urge him to run for higher office. Although he ruled out a run for the White House earlier this year, Sch- weitzer didn’t hesitate to offer his own
opinions about the 2016 race. He said he didn’t know if he would endorse a can- didate and that he wanted them to talk more about their plans to reduce the country’s dependency on foreign oil.
“I’m waiting for one candidate on the Republican or Democratic side to talk about the elephant in the room,” he said.
As for his own future ambitions, Sch- weitzer said he had plenty to keep him busy at home, including a “darn good dog, a beautiful wife and a ranch to run.” He said that he wasn’t currently thinking about running for office again but that he hasn’t “ruled anything in or out.”
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Grizzly Bear Cub Struck and Killed on Highway 93 Bear mortality the latest in a surge of deaths involving hungry bears on Montana’s highways
BY BEACON STAFF
A grizzly bear cub struck and killed by a car near Ronan is the third grizzly to die on the Flathead Indian Reserva- tion this year, and the latest in a string of highway mortalities on western Montana highways.
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe wildlife biologists report the year- ling grizzly was hit near the scenic turn- out off U.S. Highway 93 south of Ronan. A passing motorist discovered the bear, a 100-pound male, along the side of the road last week and reported the discov- ery to the tribe.
Stacy Courville, of the Tribal Wildlife Management Program, said bear mor- talities along the Highway 93 corridor through the Flathead Indian Reservation have been a persistent problem this fall, and will likely continue until the hungry bruins den up for the winter.
“This has been a difficult year for bears and will likely continue to be difficult for bears until the snow flies,” Courville said.
There have been at least 15 bears struck and killed on western Montana highways since Sept. 1, including one other grizzly bear, according to the tribe’s education specialist, Germaine White.
The collisions have occurred near the
Clark Fork and lower Blackfoot river val- leys, as well as on the reservation. The bears have been killed in collisions on Interstate 90, Highway 93, Highway 10, and Highway 200.
Biologists said many of the deaths are due to an increase in bear activity at lower elevations as they search for food in drought conditions.
For more information on living with bears contact the Tribal Wildlife Man- agement Program or Germaine White at 675-2700.
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OCTOBER 21, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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