|
Gov. Brian Schweitzer stops in Conrad |
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, 16 April 2008 |
By Buck Traxler, I-O Editor
 PIT STOP – Gov. Brian Schweitzer stopped in Conrad on Thursday for a casual conversation with Sen. Jerry Black, to his leftt. Not pictured is Rep. Llew Jones. I-O Photo by Buck Traxler
Besides I-O Editor Buck Traxler, taking part in a casual conversation at the Town Pump were state Senator Jerry Black SD-14, state Representative Llew Jones HD-27 and Aaron Jones.
The main topic of dialogue was energy, particularly the Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. IMATL), a proposed 230-Kilovolt-transmission line that would run from Alberta to Great Falls. The line would carry up to 200 megawatts of electric power north and south.
The pending decision to approve permits has not yet come out of the DEQ in Helena.
Currently, MATL has sold all the capacity of the line to potential winds farms.
Gov. Schweitzer said, “MATL will spur about $1 billion, yes, that’s a B, in invested wind energy in this area.” He said he was hearing there is a section in the Dutton area where the poles go diagonally across a farmer’s land and he wants it to go east and south in a straight line.
Sen. Black said that MATL is trying to negotiate in good faith, “The last thing they want is to not go through with this.”
Rep. Jones told the governor, “We just want farmers treated fairly.”
The preferred plan runs 129.9 miles from Canada to Great Falls with 53 miles of monopoles and 76.9 miles of H-frame poles carrying the lines. Between 45 and 52 miles of the transmission line poles would be in Pondera County.
If final approval comes, it is estimated that Pondera County could receive between $1.108 or $1.182 million in tax benefits.
Schweitzer noted, “If this is delayed past Jan. 1, it won’t go, the turbines will go some place else, so, we’re going to get this done.”
He briefly touched on what is called the Bakken Formation, which lies, in the Williston Basin in eastern Montana, North and South Dakota, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada.
It’s long been known there was oil in the Bakken, as it’s called, but originally it was thought that only 151 million barrels were recoverable. That came from a 1995 study of the Formation. But in re-evaluating the Formation and with newer drilling techniques, it’s now estimated that between 3 to 4.5 billion barrels of oil can be recovered.
“We’re going to be the Persian of the Prairies,” said Schweitzer.
He also noted the good things that are going on at ITB, saying it was an asset to the county and Montana. “I’ll try to help them get more contracts,” he said.
Asked if Montana could escape a national economic downturn, the governor didn’t have an answer.
With that, he noted his dog, which was not allowed in the Town Pump, was getting antsy and they needed to move on down the road.
|
