Creating Jobs Through Clean Energy

The Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee today heard Senator Kendall Van Dyk’s bill that would increase the amount of energy that power companies must produce from renewable sources, such as wind and solar. Currently, these companies must get 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2015. If this bill is signed into law, these companies would be required to produce 25 percent of there power from these sources by 2025.

This bill serves two purposes. First, it will help to maintain a clean environment in Montana, this will let Montanans keep the beautiful state they’ve come to enjoy and will help our tourism industry continue to thrive. It will also bring new jobs and businesses to the state.The initial standards for renewal energy in the state was passed in 2005. After its passage, more than 600 jobs were created across the state. These jobs served to boost the economies of Montana’s rural communities.

Sen. Van Dyk’s bill will also lead to lower costs for consumers. Under these standards, energy production companies will be able to purchase less foreign sources of energy. Instead, they’ll be able to rely more on wind and the sun. Which we have plenty of here in Montana.

This is the type of legislation that Montanans want to see from lawmakers. It has a proven track record of success. It creates jobs. It maintains the environmental quality of the state. And it does all of this, without costing the taxpayers money.