MATR Newsletter – August 29, 2022
The state with the best education wins!

As property taxes soar, Missoula officials compare state’s tax system to ‘old England’

“It’s an archaic system. It made sense in old England but today, a person’s ability to pay isn’t the wealth determined by their home. It’s what they earn,” said Missoula County CFO Andrew Czorny. “Property tax cannot be the only source of income local governments rely upon to provide essential services to their residents. The Legislature needs to fix it and get the hell out of the way.”

Montana’s C-PACE Program Leaders Adam Gill and Seth Lutter Receive National Recognition

“If just 15 percent of businesses in Montana adopt C-PACE, that would mean $1 billion in economic development and $4 billion in savings to businesses.”

Soon electric vehicles could charge faster than your iPhone

If perfected, the method could charge an electric vehicle’s battery 90 percent within ten minutes, solving an issue skeptics have long had about electric vehicles.

How Self-Driving Cars Will Change the Roads

Once driverless cars become more widely adopted, the future of cars without human drivers looks bright—and much safer. With nearly 40,000 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2020 alone, autonomous vehicles can prevent accidents caused by human error and driver fatigue or impairment, Sanchez says.

Vehicle-To-Grid Trials Taking Place In Massachusetts & New York

Many automakers are interested in vehicle-to-home systems as well. For new car customers, the ability to use their car as a zero emissions emergency generator is a powerful selling point. Going from V2H to V2G involves installing some extra hardware, but if drivers could actually reduce their monthly utility bills by doing so, many would see that as a positive thing. Expect to hear about more vehicle-to-grid pilot programs in the months to come.

Western Governors’ Association provides recommendations for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Standards

“The West possesses unique characteristics that pose many challenges that a one-size-fits-all approach cannot address,” the letter read. “WGA encourages the FHWA to leverage state partnerships when considering minimum standards to the NEVI Formula Program.”

Today’s MATR Newsletter is sponsored by:

Big Sky Economic Development

Please Join Us for the 2022 Big Sky Economic Development Annual Meeting and Grand Opening of our New Building… 9/8 –
We are excited to have Chris Nelson, Founder & CEO of Zoot Enterprises as our keynote for the Annual Meeting at 3:00 pm at the Babcock Theater.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

In Just 5 Sentences, Elon Musk Gave Tesla Employees a Masterclass on How to Run Efficient Meetings
Meetings are more expensive than you might think, and there are four simple ways to reduce their cost.

C-Pace – Property Assessed Commercial Energy Enhancement program.

Montana’s C-PACE Program Leaders Adam Gill and Seth Lutter Receive National Recognition
“If just 15 percent of businesses in Montana adopt C-PACE, that would mean $1 billion in economic development and $4 billion in savings to businesses.”

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

From the Ground Up: Broadband Mapping By and For Communities – 9/26 – 1:00PM MST – Online
The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and the National Broadband Mapping Coalition invite you to join us for an online panel discussion on September 26 at 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT to learn about how communities and states are collecting data on local broadband availability as the Federal Communications Commission rolls out the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) program.
SpaceX teams up with T-Mobile to fill cellular dead spots with Starlink
SpaceX is looking to expand the reach of its Starlink internet service, through a new partnership with T-Mobile. The collaboration will see the telecommunications giant’s wireless network combine with orbiting satellites to fill holes in its current coverage, with the first users expected to come online late next year.

Housing

Price reductions soar in the Bay Area as home sales plunge
The Bay Area housing market continues to cool, with new data from Compass showing that price reductions in the region are up nearly 200%.
“Cities of the future,” built from scratch
Billionaire Marc Lore is fleshing out his plan to build a utopian city called Telosa for 5 million people in the American desert — and he’s not the only one with such ambitions.

Come Home Idaho

Idaho’s Growth Obscures Massive Demographic Turnover, Study Says
While the state is growing quickly, it’s losing residents almost as quickly as it’s gaining. “In 2022, Vos found an average of 180 people move into Idaho daily while 137 state residents move out of state.”

2023 Montana Legislature and Politics

As property taxes soar, Missoula officials compare state’s tax system to ‘old England’
“It’s an archaic system. It made sense in old England but today, a person’s ability to pay isn’t the wealth determined by their home. It’s what they earn,” said Missoula County CFO Andrew Czorny. “Property tax cannot be the only source of income local governments rely upon to provide essential services to their residents. The Legislature needs to fix it and get the hell out of the way.”

City Club Missoula

City Club Missoula – Getting Schooled: Perspectives on Public Education in Montana – 9/19 – 11:30
The panel, featuring State Representative David Bedey, McCall Flynn, the Executive Director of the Montana Board of Public Education, and Lance Melton, Executive Director of the Montana School Board Association, will cover such topics as the roles of school boards, parental involvement, curriculum development and content, as well as teacher accreditation and licensure requirements.

Transportation

Vehicle-To-Grid Trials Taking Place In Massachusetts & New York
Many automakers are interested in vehicle-to-home systems as well. For new car customers, the ability to use their car as a zero emissions emergency generator is a powerful selling point. Going from V2H to V2G involves installing some extra hardware, but if drivers could actually reduce their monthly utility bills by doing so, many would see that as a positive thing. Expect to hear about more vehicle-to-grid pilot programs in the months to come.
How Self-Driving Cars Will Change the Roads
Once driverless cars become more widely adopted, the future of cars without human drivers looks bright—and much safer. With nearly 40,000 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2020 alone, autonomous vehicles can prevent accidents caused by human error and driver fatigue or impairment, Sanchez says.
Soon electric vehicles could charge faster than your iPhone
If perfected, the method could charge an electric vehicle’s battery 90 percent within ten minutes, solving an issue skeptics have long had about electric vehicles.

Energy and Climate Change

Created from food waste, these solar panels generate energy without sunlight
Carvey Ehren Maigue, who in 2020 won the James Dyson Sustainability Award for his creation, hopes it will soon be used on the windows and walls of large buildings, turning them into constant sources of energy.
Bioplastic for wind turbine blades can be recycled into gummy bears
As wind power comes to play a larger role in the renewable energy mix, some scientists are casting their eye deeper into the future to address the issue of waste. We’ve seen some inventive ideas around how giant turbine blades might be saved from landfill at the end of their lives, and a team from Michigan State University (MSU) have just thrown another one into the mix with some wide-ranging, and delicious, potential.