MATR Newsletter – June 21, 2023
The state with the best education wins!

Relax… nothing is under control

Come Home Montana

• Montana population trends: New neighbors from Arizona

  In 2021, there were 30,060 new residents in Montana that had resided in a different state the previous year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. About 4,278 of those people came from Arizona, followed by 3,740 from Washington.

Bear Paw Development

• Bear Paw Development getting $10M for meat and poultry processing loan fund

  Funds will benefit 26 counties and four tribal entities by providing access to capital for businesses involved in meat and poultry processing and helping expand operations seeking USDA inspection certification.

Great Falls Development Authority

• Great Falls Economic Development Top 10 for 6-20-23

  Last chance to register for the GFDA Annual Meeting & Awards event Tuesday, June 27, 8:00-9:30 AM at The Newberry in downtown Great Falls. It’s free but please register so we have a good count for room set-up.

Montana Business

• Missoula, Montana’s Midtown Master Plan Published Online

  Please visit midtownmasterplan.com to view these materials and see what the project team has developed based on valuable community involvement.

• Augusta, Montana American Legion Rodeo is an economic driver for the community – 6/23-25

  According to Brand MT at the Department of Commerce, non-resident spending from 2016-21 totaled $5.1 billion, within that time period, nearly 72 million non-residents visited Montana.

• Looking to Leave a Mark? Memorable Leaders Don’t Just Spout Statistics, They Tell Stories

  That killer fever chart in your slide deck might not be as impressive as you think. In fact, your audience might soon forget that critical data point. If you want them to remember your message, research by Thomas Graeber suggests that nothing sticks to the mind like a good story.

• Forbes Future Of Work Summit 2023: Leaders Talk Change In The Workplace

  When it comes to companies and social and political issues, Charlotte Burrows, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission chair, says it’s important for companies to have a clear set of organizational values.

• Reignite and Rise | MBN Missoula Businesswomen’s Network Relaunch Party 6/22

  Join us as we unveil our refreshed brand and embark on an exciting new chapter. Step into a world where women come together to support, uplift, and empower one another. See the incredible work we’ve been pouring our hearts into!

• Missoula group aims to help women in business – Reignite and Rise | MBN Relaunch Party 6/22

  The Women’s Business Network is a support group for women in business in Missoula that has been around since 1985.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• The government is helping Big Telecom squeeze out city-run broadband

  President Joe Biden’s internet access plan will hand $41.6 billion to internet service providers. In many places, that money will get funneled into private hands.

• Building Publicly Owned Broadband Starts with a Low-Tech Approach: Community Buy-in

  Before laying its first foot of fiber, leaders of the Islesboro, Maine, Municipal Network spent two years talking to everyone, including the power brokers at the sewing circle.

• Rural broadband in Montana gets massive federal boost

  Tester’s office says another large investment is on the way.

Montana Businesses Seeking Investment or For Sale

• Missoula’s Ten Spoon Vineyard is For Sale.

  Welcome to Ten Spoon Vineyard, a remarkable property nestled in the scenic Rattlesnake Valley in Missoula, Montana. This stunning estate spans 21.5 acres of pristine land and offers a unique business opportunity to own a thriving

Housing

• Montana Legislature Delivers on Workforce Housing Promise

  These investments will leverage an additional $400-600 million in economic activity associated with workforce housing.

• Inside the city torn apart by Airbnb: Bozeman, Montana, withering away because of vacation rentals

  Residents of idyllic Montana city – dubbed ‘the most livable place’ – say it’s ‘withering away’ because they’re being priced out by wealthy second home owners and vacation rentals

Incubators and R&D

• ‘Moonshot’ Infrastructure Program Aims to Fund Transformative Ideas

  A new federal program hopes to replicate the success of DARPA by developing ambitious infrastructure projects with government funding.

The Creative and Cultural Economy

• ‘The American Buffalo’ reviews history, renews hope

  “The American Buffalo” fills a void in the collective consciousness, finally bringing the bison’s story to the forefront of public awareness. The documentary serves as a catalyst for change.

Idaho News & Events

• Eagle, Idaho Poised to Build Open Access Fiber Network as Nearby Communities Forge Ahead on Similar Projects

  “Cities were using [American Rescue Plan Act] ARPA dollars to help supplement […] private companies. We didn’t think that was the proper way to [go]. Federal dollars are the people’s money, they should own whatever we use it for. We need to be going after [public funding] to get [our residents’] tax dollars back into our communities.”

2023 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen stalls latest effort to revive and expand a property tax cap

  “For the attorney general to now try to disqualify a virtually identical initiative smacks of politics and inappropriate influence on the attorney general’s office,” Monforton said.

Government News & Events

• Pacific states produce the West’s smoke. More fire could help

  The study suggests that strategic application of large prescribed burns — 1,000 acres or greater — in the areas most responsible for the West’s wildfire smoke could significantly reduce seasonal wildfire smoke in both the Pacific Coast source states and the rest of the West.

• Missoula, Bozeman’s push for green tariff taking shape

  Both the city and county of Missoula, along with the city of Bozeman, have adopted goals to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2030. The renewable rate option is seen as key in achieving those goals, officials have said.

Transportation

• Compact Ark Zero drives out as UK’s most affordable electric vehicle

  The boxy two-seater is priced at £5,995 (which converts to about US$7,650 though it’s currently available in the UK only), and being electric means that it’s exempt from Congestion and Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charges.

• How Will the Electric Grid Handle 100% Electric Vehicles? (Parts 1 & 2)

  There is a full range of additional opportunities beyond just building enough additional grid capacity to handle the increase in electricity demand from 100% LDV electrification.

• United will begin flying innovative electric air taxis across Bay Area

  In a few years, Bay Area air travelers will be able to rise above the airport traffic when United Airlines and its partner Eve Air Mobility introduce all-electric VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) air taxi service here.

Energy and Climate Change

• With Landmark Climate Trial in Montana Over, Youth Plaintiffs Describe it as ‘Just the Beginning’

  Counsel for both sides offered short closing remarks Tuesday on the bench trial’s final day, with the judge’s order expected within weeks

• Income-based electricity bills? It could happen in California soon.
  How much you pay for electricity in California could depend on your income if the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approves plans by the state’s three major utilities to do just that.
• UN chief says fossil fuels are “incompatible with human survival” as world breaks temperature records

  “We are hurtling towards disaster, eyes wide open, with far too many willing it all on wishful thinking”

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