State of Montana Archives: on Energy & Oil

Steve Bullock: Opposed Obama's halting coal mine leasing on Federal land

Mike Cooney: Focus on a realistic transition to renewable energy

Reilly Neill: Campaign centered on issue of climate change

Wilmot Collins: Believe in science; save planet from climate catastrophe

Reilly Neill: We need to remove politics from science of climate change

Tim Fox: Defends Keystone XL pipeline as beneficial to Montana

Wilmot Collins: Take bold actions to reduce our carbon footprint

Reilly Neill: Find commonality to address man-made climate change

I'm interested in engaging with both sides of the aisle going forward to make sure Montana is prepared for climate variability in our state agencies. We need to build resiliency into our state systems to prepare for the future.

Greg Gianforte: The "War on Coal" endangers jobs

Greg Gianforte: Critical of regulations & studying social cost of carbon

Greg Gianforte: Has more than $5 million invested in fossil fuel companies

Casey Schreiner: Reduce our reliance on fossil fuels over time

Matt Rosendale: Climate changes, but no draconian restrictions on business

Matt Rosendale (R): No. "The climate does change. The question is how much impact do humans have on it & how much impact can we have on it by dramatically imposing draconian restrictions on our businesses."

Jon Tester (D): Yes. Climate change is real & human activity significantly contributes. "The rest of the world is together on this. We've got an incredible opportunity to create jobs & lead the world in clean technology."

Q: Support government support for renewable energy?

Matt Rosendale (R): No. Renewable power is a "grand idea" but government shouldn't subsidize.

Jon Tester (D): Yes. Supports tax credits, expedited permitting, utility renewable mandates, & carbon capture credits for coal plants.

Albert Olszewski: Supports fracking and offshore oil drilling

A: Albert Olszewski's answer: No

Q: Do you support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources?

A: Albert Olszewski's answer: Yes

Q: Should the U.S. expand offshore oil drilling?

A: Albert Olszewski's answer: Yes

Matt Rosendale: Develop fossil fuels, don't subsidize green energy

Steve Bullock: Promotes wind and solar power and clean coal for Montana

Brad Johnson: EPA carbon emission rules cripple the Montana coal industry

Ryan Zinke: Alternatives only if competitive prices without subsidies

Coal, oil, and gas are critical components of reaching energy independence and must be accelerated through increased domestic production and constructing the infrastructure necessary to produce, refine, and transport energy. Renewable and alternative sources of energy, including hydro and biofuels, are also an important component of energy independence provided that they are cost effective and able to compete on the open market without subsidies.

Economic sustainability and job creation are critical to the continuation of energy independence in our country. A primary component of energy independence and economic development is building the Keystone XL pipeline.

Steve Daines: War on American energy is part of war on middle class

The president's imposition of a carbon pollution cap on coal-fired power plants last month has come under fire from Republicans who say it will drive up electricity costs & inhibit domestic energy production. Daines did not name the carbon cap in his address , but he did say the president & Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) are waging a "war on coal" that will hurt Indian reservations in his state

Champ Edmunds: No subsidies for wind and solar

Edmunds: Strongly Disagree

John Edward Walsh: Energy boom in Montana instead of foreign oil dependence

"I can tell you that we're here today to celebrate the fact that Montana is open for business," Walsh said. "Eastern Montana is the land of opportunity. It is home to the biggest energy boom in America. That's something we can be proud of."

Amanda Curtis: Disclose state property energy efficiency on website

• WHEREAS, state government is a significant owner and operator of buildings in Montana and a major consumer of energy; and
• and WHEREAS, the energy-efficient operation of state facilities should be a highly visible model for citizens, businesses, industries, and local governments;
• Disclosure of energy performance [via a] state property energy performance website administered by the department.
• The website must allow a person who has internet access to use the website without paying a fee; allow the public to search energy performance data on an annual basis for each state property; [and show] a comparison of the relative energy performance of a state property as compared to similar buildings located in similar climates.
• By January 1, 2014, the website must be operational.

Steve Bullock: Develop our resources for American energy independence

Steve believes Montana can:
• create good paying jobs in research, technology, development and manufacturing and attract businesses to invest here,
• lead the country in educational innovation, opportunity and achievement--and be a place where students are able to graduate from college without debt,
• be a place that maintains its rural identity,
• responsibly develop our resources and lead the way to American energy independence and a clean energy future.

Sam Rankin: Federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions

A: No.

Q: Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?

A: Yes.

Dennis Rehberg: Help avoid closure of Billings coal-fired power plant

Dennis Rehberg: Cap-and-trade policy is an energy tax

Bill McChesney: Develop alternative energy AND non-renewables

A: Yes.

Q: Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you support state funding for improvements to Montana's energy infrastructure?

A: Yes.

McChesney adds, "Energy development and export, both alternative and non-renewable, are key to Montana's future economic vitality and I will do all I can to support the responsible development of both as well as improving our transmission capacities."

Michael Lange: Develop oil, coal, & nuclear production

Lange supports the following principles regarding energy:
• Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
• Support domestic oil exploration in areas that are currently restricted.
• Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels.
• Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
• Support research and development of nuclear reactors as an alternative energy source.

Ryan Zinke: Increased coal production with environmental safeguards

Zinke indicates support of the following principles regarding energy.
• Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
• Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil, etc).
• Zinke adds, "I support increased coal production for electrical generation and believe it can and should be done with adequate environmental safeguards. I believe the use of alternate energy sources and clean coal is preferred over petroleum based fuels."

Mike Cooney: Increased use of alternative fuel technology

Cooney supported the following principles regarding the environment and energy:
• Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
• Support the development of coal-to-liquids technology to create synthetic fuels in Montana.
• Require that water withdrawn from coal bed wells be injected back into the aquifers or treated before being discharged into rivers and streams.

Conrad Burns: Agricultural oil sources reduce foreign energy dependence

JONES: The cheapest electrical power is nuclear energy. We must re-institute nuclear power. Coal is another one. Montana is rich in coal, which can be liquefied into gasoline.

BURNS: Last year we passed an energy bill, and opened up some new areas for energy production. And we found more oil and we found more gas. In next year’s farm bill, agriculture will have a role in reducing our dependence on foreign energy, both in bio-diesel and ethanol plants. 11 million acres in Montana can produce more oil from oilseeds than the soybean folks in the Midwest. We must use those in our bio-diesels and bio-lubricants. That’s what brings down the price of gasoline, when policies inject competition into the market.

TESTER: If I were not running for US Senate, on my farm, we would be crushing safflower, because I’ve run the numbers, and it works, and it provides a renewable energy source that makes sense.

Conrad Burns: Global warming has occurred since the Ice Age

BURNS: We’ve been warming since the Ice Age, and that continues. That’s a pretty well-known fact.

TESTER: The truth is, the polar ice cap is half as thick as it was in 1950. Yes, Earth is warming since the Ice Age, that’s correct, but it’s warming much more rapidly now than it ever has in our history.

JONES: There is global warming; it’s very slight; it’s a recovery from what’s called the Little Ice Age, when the average temperatures were much lower. In the years 500AD to 1000AD, temperatures were much higher than they are right now. Global warming is a natural recovery, and is not harmful. Most of it is only happening in the northern hemisphere. Scientists have proven that carbon dioxide emissions contribute only about 5% of the total greenhouse gases. If we reduce that worldwide, do you think it will have a big impact no greenhouse gases? No it will not. This is a natural occurrence and we should not make any effort to change it.

Conrad Burns: Kyoto Accord hurts economy; focus on alternative fuels

BURNS: I would not. #1, it taxes the economy. And it doesn’t get to the real folks that should have some way of controlling their greenhouse gases. That’s the reason I’m a great believer in alternative fuels, and wind, and solar, and fuel cells. We have to do everything that we can do, and stay within the economy and keep it growing, to deal with greenhouse gases.

TESTER: Us pulling out of the Kyoto Accord is exactly what’s wrong. We need to have communication with folks around the world. This is a worldwide problem. I hope [global warming] is a glitch in the environment, but we need to treat it in case it’s not. Our universities can be a big player in how we can sequester

Jon Tester: Agricultural oil sources are profitable and renewable

JONES: The cheapest electrical power is nuclear energy. We must re-institute nuclear power. Coal is another one. Montana is rich in coal, which can be liquefied into gasoline. Government over-regulates the energy industry.

BURNS: Last year we opened up some new areas for energy production. And we found more oil and we found more gas. That’s what brings down the price of gasoline, when policies inject competition into the market.

TESTER: America’s energy independence is critically important, and we have a tremendous opportunity in Montana to help America become energy-independent. If I were not running for US Senate, on my farm, we would be crushing safflower, because I’ve run the numbers, and it works, and it provides a renewable energy source that makes sense. We did a lot of things in the last session to help promote bio-fuels and renewables and wind energy.

Jon Tester: Kyoto Accord needs worldwide communication & US leadership

BURNS: No; it doesn’t get to the real folks that should have some way of controlling their greenhouse gases. That’s the reason I’m a great believer in alternative fuels. We have to do everything that we can do, [but] stay within the economy growing.

TESTER: Us pulling out of the Kyoto Accord is exactly what’s wrong. We need to have communication with folks around the world. This is a worldwide problem. I hope [global warming] is a glitch in the environment, but we need to treat it in case it’s not. I’d point out that, with the exception of wind and solar, you still have carbon emissions from other renewables, like biofuels and ethanol. Our universities can be a big player in how we can sequester carbon, and solve this carbon issue. We can solve this problem but it’s going to take some research dollars, and some commitment, and some leadership. The folks that are there can’t do it. We need a change.

Jon Tester: Global warming is much more rapid now than historically

BURNS: We’ve been warming since the Ice Age, and that continues. That’s a pretty well-known fact.

TESTER: The truth is, the polar ice cap is half as thick as it was in 1950. Yes, Earth is warming since the Ice Age, that’s correct, but it’s warming much more rapidly now than it ever has in our history.

JONES: There is global warming; it’s very slight; it’s a recovery from what’s called the Little Ice Age, when the average temperatures were much lower. In the years 500AD to 1000AD, temperatures were much higher than they are right now. Global warming is a natural recovery, and is not harmful. Most of it is only happening in the northern hemisphere. Scientists have proven that carbon dioxide emissions contribute only about 5% of the total greenhouse gases. If we reduce that worldwide, do you think it will have a big impact no greenhouse gases? No it will not. This is a natural occurrence and we should not make any effort to change it.

Stan Jones: More nuclear plants and more liquefied coal

JONES: The cheapest electrical power is nuclear energy. But this nation has pretty much put the kibosh on nuclear energy, but they’re the cleanest, cheapest, & safest form of energy. New designs can burn used fuel, that we are storing in underground vaults, and use it up completely. We must re-institute nuclear power. Coal is another one. Montana is rich in coal, which can be liquefied into gasoline. If government got out of the way, we would already be using it. Government over-regulates the energy industry.

BURNS: Last year we opened up some new areas for energy production. And we found more oil and we found more gas. That’s what brings down the price of gasoline, when policies inject competition into the market.

TESTER: If I were not running for US Senate, on my farm, we would be crushing safflower, because I’ve run the numbers, and it works, and it provides a renewable energy source that makes sense.

Stan Jones: Global warming is a natural occurrence since 1000AD

BURNS: We’ve been warming since the Ice Age, and that continues. That’s a pretty well-known fact.

TESTER: The truth is, the polar ice cap is half as thick as it was in 1950. Yes, Earth is warming since the Ice Age, that’s correct, but it’s warming much more rapidly now than it ever has in our history.

JONES: There is global warming; it’s very slight; it’s a recovery from what’s called the Little Ice Age, when the average temperatures were much lower. In the years 500AD to 1000AD, temperatures were much higher than they are right now. Global warming is a natural recovery, and is not harmful. Most of it is only happening in the northern hemisphere. Scientists have proven that carbon dioxide emissions contribute only about 5% of the total greenhouse gases. If we reduce that worldwide, do you think it will have a big impact no greenhouse gases? No it will not. This is a natural occurrence and we should not make any effort to change it.

Bob Kelleher: Use coal, oil & gas in an environmental manner

Kelleher supports the following principles regarding the environment and energy.
• Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
• Support funding for open space preservation.
• Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law.
• Kelleher adds, “If my Con Con Proposal No. 104 passes we can use coal, oil & gas in an environmental manner while encouraging wind & solar power development.”

Brian Schweitzer: Develop renewable energy: ethanol, wind and hydrogen

A: I support responsible development of Montana’s natural resources while protecting our clean air, water and wildlands. I have also proposed developing new, renewable energy sources, such as clean-burning ethanol fuel, wind and hydrogen, to create jobs and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Judy Martz: Protected transition to competitive energy prices in 2002

In the near-term, the industrial customers and the generators of electricity should enter into contracts for power supply, perhaps with incentives from the State. The price of electricity will increase after July 1, 2002, but it must be reasonable. Suppliers should recover their costs, plus a reasonable profit. The California prices of today are not being set by a competitive marketplace and are unrealistic because they are not a result of long-term supply contracts. Competition will work, but we cannot be halfway in and halfway out.

Judy Martz: More energy plants; diversify sources; include renewables

John Bohlinger: Require clean-burning fuels; repeal electricity deregulation

Bohlinger Indicates support of the following principles regarding the environment and energy.
• Require the use of cleaner burning fuels in order to prevent pollution.
• Repeal current law that partially deregulates the electricity market in Montana.
• Require the state to buy the water rights to Montana Power's hydroelectric dams.