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News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2002
For More Information Contact:
David Ponder, MontPIRG 243-2908
Deborah Donovan, UCS 617-547-5552
Montana Economy Could Profit
from Renewable Energy
Boosting Clean, Homegrown Energy Would Generate $7.1
Billion in Regional Investments
Missoula, MT, Feb. 21 –The Northwest could reap $7.1 billion in new
investment from development of renewable energy such as solar and wind,
according to an analysis released by the Union of Concerned Scientists
(UCS) and MontPIRG today. Regional energy consumers would also save
$700 million a year in lower energy bills from a proposed national standard
increasing the use of renewable energy to 20 percent of the US energy supply
by 2020, along with energy efficiency improvements.
“Renewable energy can be a terrific boon to the economy of Montana,”
said David Ponder, Executive Director of MontPIRG. “We can
create jobs and protect the environment by increasing the amount of electricity
generated by clean renewable energy.”
Montana currently develops less than 1% of its power from renewable
energy, but the state has the technical potential to generate more than
71 times its current electricity needs from renewable energy, enough to
power 119 million homes, according to MontPIRG’s new report, Generating Solutions:
How States Are Putting Renewable Energy Into Action. The new UCS report,
Renewing Where We Live, and the PIRG report show that a national standard
increasing the use of renewable energy power to 20 percent of the U.S. energy
supply by 2020 would benefit both the economy and environment of Montana.
"Montana has abundant renewable energy resources that are cleaner,
safer, and will outlast fossil fuels," said Deborah Donovan, UCS senior
analyst. "Instead of relying on dirty and outdated sources of electricity,
Montana can enjoy significant benefits from harvesting its homegrown
renewable energy sources, especially in hard-pressed rural areas."
The U.S. Senate is poised to begin debating its energy bill next
week. While the legislation includes a national renewable energy standard,
it is only half the level considered cost-effective by the Energy Information
Administration, the official government source for energy statistics.
"Montana has several homegrown examples of how renewable energy benefits
the ratepayer and the environment. We urge the Senate to employ
America’s technological know-how to replicate these successes in states
across the country," concluded Ponder.
The UCS report, Renewing Where We Live, is available on the Union
of Concerned Scientists website: http://www.ucsusa.org
The MontPIRG report, Generating Solutions: How States are Putting
Renewable Energy Into Action, is available at: http://www.pirg.org
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MontPIRG is a nonprofit public interest advocacy group with 5,000
members in Montana.
UCS is a nonprofit partnership of scientists and citizens based in
Cambridge, MA.
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