Page 30 - Flathead Beacon // 11.25.15

LIKE I WAS SAYING 32 AMERICAN RURAL 32 DRAWING BOARD 33 Viewpoints
LETTERS
Jergeson’s Support For Higher Energy Bills No Surprise
Recently, career politician/state Sen. Greg Jergeson, perhaps best known for allegations that he illegally coordinated with “dark money” groups in order to “improperly in uence the outcome” of his election, took to the opinion pages of several Montana newspapers attacking Americans for Prosperity for standing up for Montana’s right to make its own energy decisions by refusing to imple- ment President Barack Obama’s “Clean Power Plan” in our state.
The senator, quite radically, argues that Montana would be better served by turning the control of our energy deci- sions over to unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. – a decision that stud- ies show will hike the average family’s energy bill by $500 a year and leave thousands of Montanans out of work.
Just this week, Gov. Steve Bullock put forward a plan to move forward with implementing these regulations, but we need to slam the brakes on his plan before it goes any further.
No matter what the governor’s o ce would have you believe, truth is, imple- menting the “Clean Power Plan” will give Montana much less control over its energy decisions. In submitting an implementation plan, Bullock would be crafting an energy proposal that achieves Obama’s requirements while pretending it’s a Montana-based solu- tion – hoping you’ll never be the wiser.
It isn’t.
It accepts sweeping federal mandates from unelected bureaucrats at the EPA that will hike Montana power bills, heating bills, and destroy thousands of jobs. Studies show that 2,000 jobs will be threatened by power plant closures from the new rule. Montana’s economy will be hit hard as the EPA forces other states to retire coal plants that import coal from Montana.
Twenty-seven states have now signed on to a lawsuit against these expensive new regulations and for good reason. The EPA has woefully overstepped its legal boundaries in mandating such sweeping changes to our states power grid and until the courts decide if this plan is even legal, Montanan’s shouldn’t spend a single dime trying to implement it.
New EPA rules on power plants, the so-called “Clean Power Plan,” will require Montana to reduce carbon emis- sions 47 percent by 2030. It is the cost- liest regulation ever put forward by the federal government and sets an entirely unrealistic standard for our state. Even Governor Bullock has admitted that the
rules are unfair to Montana, setting a standard for Montana that is far more stringent than the rule being proposed by richer states like Ohio, New York or even California.
No one argues with Montana’s need for clean air, but is it really worth $29 billion a year to implement new rules that will have no measurable impact on our climate? Even the EPA’s own num- bers say will only reduce atmospheric carbon by a measly 0.2 percent and will only decrease global temperatures by an imperceptible .01 degree.
Perhaps that’s why everyone from the chamber of commerce to the labor unions, free market advocates and energy producers have come out against this plan. It should be Montanans — not unelected bureaucrats in Washington D.C. making decisions about our energy future.
Six governors – Democrat and Republican alike – have stood up to this unreasonable regulation by refusing to comply with it. They’ve recognized that states shouldn’t waste hard earned tax dollars implementing a plan until we know if it’s legal to begin with. Montana should do the same
David Herbst, state director Americans for Prosperity Montana
Not Risen Yet!
When looking for a political rep- resentative, there’s almost nothing I want more than the “conservative con- servationist,” about whom Tristan Scott recently wrote. (“The Rise of the Con- servationist,” Oct. 21 Beacon). If this candidate is rising, he or she is still a long way from fully appearing. Sen. Steve Daines and Congressman Ryan Zinke have not yet become the Teddy Roosevelt the stewardship-concerned conservative Montanan is looking for. Review their conservation record: Sure, support of the North Fork Protection Act is commendable. But in terms of courageous conservation, that biparti- san legislation was an easy lift.
Not to mention Daines’ votes to sell o our public lands were quietly put aside in Scott’s article. Daines voted in 2013 (H Con Res 25, vote 88) and 2014 to support Rep. Paul Ryan’s controversial plan to sell public lands to pay down the national debt. Also, the Associated Press reported in March of this year (the Flat- head Beacon published the story), how the conservation community blasted Daines for his vote authorizing the sale or transfer of public lands to state con- trol (Roll Call 106).
Zinke is hardly a champion of con- servation either. In March, he too voted to sell o public lands (H Con Res 27).
And let’s not forget candidate Ryan Zin- ke’s vote just last year against the North Fork Protection Act, saying he “didn’t like” it.
Conservation is more than a token, more than a word constituents want to hear, more than a single issue. Cham- pioning conservation, and the tens of thousands of Montana jobs that rely on our outdoor heritage, is earned by a reliable record of support. Not by over- ly-friendly, unbalanced news stories which over-credit our lawmakers.
Faith C. Doty Polson
2016 Election a De ning Point
The 2016 election may be the de n- ing point of this country. We are on the brink of ecological collapse and the overthrow of government of by and for the people. Webster de nes “people” as human beings, “corporations” as asso- ciations of individuals created by law having a continuous existence irrespec- tive of that of its members. Those seem to be relatively clear-cut de nitions. Wonder why the Supreme Court was so easily “persuaded” to declare that cor- porations were people, with the rights of people. Yet, they so declared, opening up all political o ces “for sale to the high- est bidder.” The supposed representa- tive part of our government that pro- tects the people, no longer does so.
Largely, Congress is the mouthpiece of the corporations, and the people are simply dupes to be placated with an occasional crumb or whipped into a moral frenzy by extremist religious advocates.
When corporations can foul public resources for their own pro ts, and face no accountability for the damages they do, the people’s rights become mean- ingless. If voters allow themselves to be manipulated by politicians who never deliver on their promises, we will con- tinue this spiral into serfdom. Politi- cians put a patch on a major problem, with promises to really x it tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes. We need to be looking for real answers to problems. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting di erent results. Promises made on the campaign trail are as insubstantial as cotton candy in a downpour, and about as tasty.
One candidate has walked the walk, not blowing in the wind – Bernie Sand- ers. Largely, an independent, he owns his own soul. He speaks for the people: a living wage, justice for all, real change. He can win, if we use our votes rather than selling them for false promises.
Frances Wade Bigfork
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NOVEMBER 25, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
LETTERS
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