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Montana, Jobs or EPA regulations ??
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soil-life
Posted 3/2/2009 09:58 (#628679)
Subject: Montana, Jobs or EPA regulations ??


North Central Ohio, across the Corn belt !
Some states picking economy over environment regs
By MATT GOURAS, Associated Press Writer Matt Gouras, Associated Press Writer Mon Mar 2, 5:09 am ET

HELENA, Mont. – The call for economic stimulus is having an unintended side effect in places like Montana, where environmental protections are on the verge of being repealed in the name of jobs.

One bill gets straight to the issue — promising to exempt hundreds of millions in economic stimulus projects from the state's landmark environmental policies. Environmentalists are ramping up lobbying efforts as a wave of measures eroding regulatory rules gain serious traction in the face of a recession and shrinking state coffers.

"It is about jobs," said Sen. Jim Keane, a Democrat from the mining town of Butte. "But I think the issue is much bigger than that. All these projects also generate new taxes and revenue for the state government."

Proponents are hoping to ease the way for everything from new coal plants to electricity transmission lines. They say complex rules killed a utility's recently failed plan to build a coal-fired electricity plant near Great Falls; the utility now plans a smaller natural-gas-fired plant.

Montana is not entirely alone. Some other states facing unprecedented budget shortfalls amid a deepening recession want to make sure that current or planned environmental protections don't get in the way of building projects and economic recovery.

In California, lawmakers relaxed environmental laws for road projects and construction equipment in the name of economic stimulus as part of a recently approved budget package. In Idaho, lawmakers shut down new regulations for septic-tank drain fields because they feared it would hinder Idaho's economy, especially during a recession.

Utah is even considering a company's offer to take nuclear waste in exchange for needed cash. In Kansas, lawmakers are pushing for legislation that would pave the way for coal-fired power plants in the southwest part of the state — though Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has promised a veto.

The move to weaken environmental protections isn't gaining steam everywhere.
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