Montana Economic Development

"We’ll create jobs for people who are chemists, for soil scientists and people who are actually driving the big loaders and big trucks and moving equipment around. We’ll create more jobs during the next 10 years, cleaning up the mining mistakes of the past than we would have in some of the mining industries. So it’s good for Montana’s economy. It’s good for Montana’s fisheries. It’s good for Montana’s forests," Schweitzer said.

The Secure Rural Schools provision included in the economic rescue package will double the amount of funding Montana’s timber dependent communities currently receive through the SRS program, which compensates county governments for lost revenue due to declining timber receipts.

"The goal of our program is to combine preservation with economic development to spawn new life into downtown communities,"
Tony Preite, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce

“We haven’t finalized exactly how we’re going to approach this but we’ll look at strengths and the businesses at the site and ask, “why would someone come to Libby to start a business?”

Gov. Brian Schweitzer said in July that the pipeline project will create a sizable number of high-paying construction jobs and will generate $57.6 million a year in property taxes in Montana, including up to $14 million each in Fallon, McCone and Valley counties.

“This is a tremendous investment in the security of Montana and America,” Baucus said. “These projects will help make Montana a world a leader in cutting-edge military research, help create good-paying jobs and will provide new opportunities for economic growth across the Big Sky.”

Its’ a
win win for our community and the state of Montana.” Greg Kegel, Dean of the College
of Technical Sciences at MSU Northern calls the plant an “economic engine” and goes
on to say that it will serve as a magnet to attract students to MSU Northern. “We really
need this plant to get off the ground.”

“A healthy Main Street economy speaks volumes about the overall prosperity of a community,” said Preite. “Governor Brian Schweitzer and I are encouraged by the interest Montanans have shown in this first conference. We look forward to seeing how this event will help reshape downtowns across Montana.”

If approved, the TBID would collect about $372,000 annually, which could be used to market the Great Falls hotel industry by attracting conventions, sports tournaments and other events, said Gayle Fisher, director of the Russell Country tourism promotion area.

The nation’s largest land conservation deal may protect far more acres than it actually purchases, by allowing Missoula County to limit development through zoning.