KUFM Commentary

May 2007

“Meeting Montana’s Energy Needs--Sustainably”- by Tom Butts and Wilbur Wood (adapted from the Executive Summary of AEROs "Repowering Montana - A Blueprint for Homegrown Energy Self-reliance" )

 

Montana can meet all its energy needs in the future through effective conservation measures and clean renewable energy. The more rapidly Montanans move toward that future, the better off we’ll be. If we don’t, our prospects appear bleak: degradation of our air, water, land, health, and economic well-being; greenhouse gases continuing to pour into our atmosphere; centralized production and distribution systems becoming more and more vulnerable to natural or human-caused disasters; and Montanans remaining at the mercy of escalating energy prices controlled by larger entities beyond our borders.

What can be done? The Alternative Energy Resource Organization, AERO, has prepared a Blueprint for Montana energy independence that not only details strategies for investing in energy efficiency, in sustainable production of biofuels (both biodiesel and ethanol), and in dispersed wind, small hydro, and solar power systems, but also advocates localizing ownership and control of these energy systems as much as possible. Local ownership will keep dollars circulating in Montana communities and create useful and fulfilling work for Montanans.

The foundation of AERO’s energy plan rests on energy efficiency and conservation as the quickest and least expensive option to supply our energy needs sustainably. Translated into the cost of electricity, the cost of efficiency measures generally range from 1 to 2 cents per kilowatt hour, far cheaper than generating electricity by coal-fired power plants, windfarms, or even existing hydropower. And conservation measures are available on a variety of scales. Individuals can replace incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Designing and building “green” houses, office buildings and other structures using very little energy occurs building by building. Land use planning to minimize the costs of “sprawl” development must occur on a broader societal level and involve both the public and private sectors. At all levels we can save money and energy by plugging leaks, doing more with less, transforming waste to wealth, and re-imagining ourselves and our society not as passive consumers but as active conservers of energy.

Montanans should shift our priorities toward meeting the state’s own power needs first, as cleanly, reliably and inexpensively as possible. New windpower and micro-hydro installations are cheaper than new coal, even before adding in coal's pollution and health costs. The price of solar technologies is rapidly falling; geothermal energy offers huge potential; and new, inventive ways to store electricity are coming online now. Advances in cellulosic ethanol technology will soon enable farmers and foresters to harvest a variety of native grasses and forest and crop residues to produce this alcohol fuel for blending with petroleum-based gasoline, then gradually replacing it. Biodiesel refined from a variety of oilseed crops can provide an immediate ”second crop” for Montana farmers, first to power their own trucks and tractors, then to contribute to local supplies.

Decentralized, locally scaled development of these abundant sources--perhaps backed up by power from Montana’s own hydroelectric dams--not only can bring down the price we pay for fuel and electricity today, but also eliminate the environmental costs we would pay in the future.

How to get from here to there? Montana farmers and ranchers need to develop second crops--energy crops--to help reinvigorate rural economies. Montana population centers, meanwhile, need to focus on energy conservation and efficiency and on providing markets for those energy crops. To quote from the final chapter of the Blueprint:

Green buildings in the cities. Biofuels and windpower in the countryside. Solar energy everywhere. Greenhouses dot the landscape, extending the growing season. More local foods, less long distance hauling. More local energy, less long distance transmission. More carpooling, vans, buses, passenger trains. More inter-city bicycle and horse trails.... More fun. More joy. More beauty.

This is a vision, but a practical one, rooted in commonsense economics. You can view the Energy Blueprint at www.aeromt.org.

I’m Tom Butts for AERO. AERO welcomes your comments and perspectives. AERO is a grassroots membership organization working to help create farm, food, and energy solutions for communities throughout Montana. For more information about our programs call us in Helena at 406-443-7272.