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Energy firms paying for bulk of Montana governor’s energy conference

Large energy firms and utilities are paying 80 percent of the cost of Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s upcoming energy conference http://www.matr.net/article-15653.html , prompting criticism from two advocates of alternative energy.

"It is a public conference being put on to develop public policy, and it should be publicly funded, period," said Jim Jensen, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center.

Schweitzer said the Legislature cut from his proposed budget the economic development funds he hoped to use to finance the conference, forcing the administration to seek private funding.

Jensen and Democratic Sen. Ken Toole of Helena, chairman of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, said corporate sponsorship of the conference, intended to help develop a state energy policy, essentially taints the results.

"There are a lot of good people (at) the conference," Toole said. "But having corporations fund a conference to talk about vision on policy … is a fundamental flaw.

Full Story: http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/08/18/build/state/35-gov-energy-conf.inc

Montana’s Energy Future Symposium, 10/17-19, Bozeman, MT
http://www.matr.net/article-15653.html

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