Report from Economic Development Roundtable at Miles Community College sponsored by Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont.

About 60 people gathered at Miles Community College for an Economic Development Roundtable sponsored by Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont.

In his opening remarks, Rehberg said he was looking for information about how government can help economic development and private enterprise, but equally important is information on how government may be causing impediments to progress. He noted a couple instances of how government programs had caused him to lose money in his agricultural business.

One of those was when the federal government’s whole-herd dairy buyout flooded the beef market, to the detriment of established beef producers. "Government doesn’t have the right to do that to private industry," Rehberg said.

"We don’t, at the government level, create jobs," he said, but added that by helping private industry, "government money can create jobs."

The roundtable discussions into which the group broke up covered the topics of agriculture, natural resource development, rural health care, education and infrastructure. Within those groups, participants were to assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, goals and what would be needed to achieve them.

In the infrastructure group, Miles City Engineer Tim Barth noted weaknesses in the water and sewer systems, as well as the availability of developable locations.

"I often hear, where can I build? Where can I put a trailer house?’ In order to grow, we’ve got to have a place to put them," Barth said.

In the natural resources group, Ron Nemec of the Job Service spoke of the need to develop roads to bring commerce to Miles City, particularly if there is extensive energy development to the south. But many towns’ poor infrastructure cannot handle a sudden influx of workers, either in the energy industry or the businesses that support it.

Nemec suggested that a loan program based on the Coal Tax Trust Fund be created, to fund improvements in basic services before the energy workers arrive, and to be paid back after they have arrived and increased the area’s economic base.

"Most of the Hi-Line and eastern Montana is in tough shape because we’ve had no money for so long," he said. To expect these local communities that have been run down for so long to be able to fix it in five seconds is unreasonable."

Other people in the natural resources group noted the bottlenecks in the electricity transmission system that impede the export of energy that Montana’s natural resources could produce.

Back in the infrastructure group, Larry Mires of Glasgow suggested that rather than interstate electricity transmission, perhaps improvement in intrastate transmission could be used to lure energy-hungry industries into Montana.

"Why don’t we turn this around?" Mires said. "Why don’t we say to companies, come here, where there’s abundant energy’?"

Noting that Montana is rated the fifth-best state in the nation for wind power potential, Mires suggested that the clean power source be used as a draw, while the state’s coal can be used to assure base load. Using the two in tandem may be "the only way to get the greenies to back it (additional coal development). One guarantee there is – if you don’t build it, they won’t come," he said.

In the agriculture group, Extension Agent Sheryl Sackman noted that unless someone is in a position to inherit an agricultural operation, the startup costs are prohibitive.

On the other hand, said Jack Larson of MCC’s ag program, many agricultural operations are sold out to be absorbed by others because the aging owners cannot find young people willing to continue them.

Noting the outflow of talented young people to other regions, Larson suggested that banks or other financial institutions "grab these young people before they leave and say, We have an opportunity for you.’"

Extension Agent Kent Williams noted the recent discussion of developing a local feedlot industry. Asked if a slaughter plant would be needed to sustain that, he said it would be nice at some point, but "that’s a long way down the line. But it doesn’t matter. If we can keep that weaned calf in the county for most of its life, that generates economic activity."

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Ray Trumpower

RR 1 Box 1030

Fairview MT 59221

406-742-5259

John Paul Jones said in 1778 that “I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm’s way.”