MATR Newsletter – August 24, 2023
The state with the best education wins!

“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”

Nightbirde

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Big issues at the forefront as Great Falls sorts out how it will grow

  Burgeoning concerns about public safety and housing taking center stage in city commission, mayoral elections.

• Rising Stars to offer evening, weekend child care in Bozeman with $1 million state grant

  Rising Stars’ day program is 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

• Uptown Butte Association looking for feedback on possible business improvement district

  A BID in Butte would allow business owners to work together and find common goals or tasks to breathe new life into their area of the city, said Shanna Adams, president of the Uptown Butte Masterplan Association.

• Glacier National Park tourism contributes $548M to local economy

  A recently released report details just how much money Glacier National Park pumps into the local economy.

• Kingston, New York Goes 100 Percent Form-Based for its New Code – What about your community?

  Kingston recently adopted a form-based code, taking the rare step to entirely replace its old zoning code with form-based standards while also repealing parking requirements and allowing accessory dwelling units and missing middle housing.

• Must-Read Wharton Faculty Authors: Preparing for Leadership | Erika James

  Crises will come, but well-prepared leaders can weather the storm. In this episode, Wharton Dean Erika James shares insights from her new book on crisis management.

• Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $1 Billion in New Internet for All Funding Available to Tribal Lands

  This second round of funding from the Internet for All initiative’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) will make up to approximately $980 million available for Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities for the deployment of Internet infrastructure on Tribal Lands, affordability programs, telehealth and distance learning initiatives.

• Montana climate ruling could shape future action to curb greenhouse gases

  Only five states have a higher per-capita level of greenhouse gas emissions than Montana, the judge wrote in her order. In 2019, the state extracted enough coal, oil and gas to produce about 70 million tons of carbon dioxide, while its fossil fuel consumption resulted in 32 million tons of CO2 being produced. By way of comparison, the EPA estimates the United States as a whole produced more than 5,000 million tons of CO2 in 2019.

• Soutwest Montana solar project equal to the consumption of 13,500 households powers up

  Enlight Renewable Energy announced Friday that its 600-acre Apex Solar project located along I-15 near Dillon had been generating electricity since Aug. 4. The project was developed over several years by Clenera, a Boise-based company that Enlight acquired in 2021.

Northwestern Energy

• State utility regulators seek input on Northwestern Energy’s energy plan

  State regulators on the Public Service Commission are hosting five listening sessions throughout the state to seek input on the next three-year outlook of Northwestern Energy’s plan.

Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative

• Small Business Administration (SBA) Annual Regional Cluster Survey

  To assist in this process, we request that you complete the forthcoming survey from Optimal. We suggest that you whitelist [email protected] and nbahel@optimalsolutionsgroup so that future communications are not sent to your spam folder.

• Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative August 2023 Newsletter

  Small Business Administration (SBA) Annual Regional Cluster Survey

Montana Business

• Waste coffee grounds make concrete 30% stronger

  “The concrete industry has the potential to contribute significantly to increasing the recycling of organic waste such as used coffee,”

• Protecting Your Home from Fires: The Power of EverLog Siding

  It’s a grim reality: wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. In light of these troubling events, we wanted to reach out and share the peace of mind that EverLog Siding can provide to homeowners amidst such dangers.

The Telecommuting and Gig Workforce in Montana

• 7 Remote Work Myths: Separating Fact From Fiction

  There are many misconceptions surrounding being a remote worker. Here are some of the myths:

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

• Governors’ Unique Role in Building a Clean-Energy Economy

  As funds flow from the Inflation Reduction Act for projects across the country, getting the full benefit of this landmark law will depend on governors seizing the moment.

Visit Montana

• How The Steep Decline In Chinese Tourists Will Cost The U.S. More Than $20 Billion

  In the competitive global travel industry, America has lost its edge with the world’s highest-spending travelers due to long visa wait times, gun violence and geopolitics. But here’s the silver lining in the clouds.

Come Home Idaho

• The Housing Crisis Grows in Rural Idaho
  The state’s smaller communities are feeling the pressure of sharply rising housing costs, stagnating wages, and an aging population.

21st Century Education Initiative – “You Should Care…”

• Early screen time linked to later childhood development delays

  The research adds to the existing data about how screen use can affect a child’s future development.

2023 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Draft TikTok Security Deal Would Have Given Government Unprecedented Control

  The agreement TikTok was negotiating with the federal government in order to avoid a ban in the United States could have given the federal government almost unlimited access to and wide-ranging oversight over TikTok’s internal workings, according to a draft copy of the agreement reported by Forbes.

Government News & Events

• Montana CISO Steps Down to Join CIS as Cybersecurity Adviser

  As Montana searches for a new CISO, the man leaving the position, Andy Hanks, will be working to improve the cybersecurity of small government agencies nationwide.

• City of Billings hosts residential garbage service Q&A

  Starting on the 11th, it’ll be up to residents to sort through their trash and make sure it goes to the right place.

• Carry a Big Stick – That’s the advice climate scientists have for cities that want to get people out of their cars. Carrots aren’t enough.

  Carrots like better transit won’t be enough to get people out of their cars, climate scientists say. Sticks like congestion pricing and restricting where people can drive are needed too.

American Prairie

• The echo of the bison

  Today, we hear from an economist who revealed the shocking numbers telling this story, and one member of the Blackfeet Nation who is trying to bring back the bison.

City Club Missoula

• City Club Missoula Presents Celebrating 40 Years of the Mansfield Center: Citizens Coming Together to Strengthen Democracy and Bridging Divides Monday, September 11, 2023 11:30AM – 1PM

  Marc Johnson, Mansfield historian and author, Nancy Keenan, Mansfield Center Advisory Board member and former Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party, and Marc Racicot, chairman of the Mansfield Center Advisory Board and former Governor of Montana, will discuss the enduring legacy of Montana’s Mike Mansfield, and how we can work together to support the core values of our democracy in the Mansfield Way.

Transportation

• How a Public Health Approach to Road Safety Could Save Lives

  New research describes transportation engineers as part of the public health workforce, and argues they should emphasize strategies that reduce risk for greater proportions of the population.

Energy and Climate Change

• The molecular love story that could help power the world

  “A world which runs entirely on green energy, it’s not a luxury. It’s a necessity,” she says.

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