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That was a key message experts delivered Friday at Carroll College during a conference on the state's energy future.
Some in attendance urged lawmakers not to forget about the state's coal resources - or to get too excited about creating an energy economy.
"We need to take a deep breath," said Thomas Power of the University of Montana.
Power urged policymakers not to get caught up in the "drill, baby, drill" mentality - referring to a Republican campaign slogan used in the presidential race - or in Montana's case, "transmit, baby, transmit," he said.
Energy economies are notoriously boom and bust, Power said, adding they typically produce a small number of jobs, some of which are filled by out-of-state workers.
A few moments later, that assertion drew a sharp response from Rachel Shimshak, executive director of the Renewable Northwest Project, which promotes renewable energy. Wind development produces a lot of jobs, she said.
"Planning is good," she said. "Doing is better."
The opening day of what was billed as an energy summit drew 320 registrants, which surprised Bob Rowe, NorthWestern Energy president and CEO. The conference, which continues today, is sponsored by NorthWestern, Carroll College and the Burton K. Wheeler Center on Public Policy at Montana State University.
"Montana has huge potential for wind," said Tom Kaiserski, program manager for the Montana Energy Promotion and Development Division of the Department of Commerce. The office is monitoring 50 proposed wind projects totaling 5,000 megawatts statewide, he said.
Experts told conference officials Friday that the future of wind development relies on updating the nation's transmission system.
"The grid is stretched to the limits," said Dan Trudnowski, heads of the Electrical Engineering Department at Montana Tech in Butte.
Keeping the electrical grid that serves the Western U.S. balanced is extremely important to ensuring reliable delivery and avoiding outages, he said. The problem is, wind power isn't consistent and can't be controlled, so it's hard to integrate onto the touchy existing system, said Trudnowski, comparing the existing grid with a 1962 Chevy pickup he once owned.
"Tomorrow's grid is doable," he said. "Policy drives technology."
A "smart grid," which includes global positioning satellite and wireless communications technology, is necessary to add wind power, Trudnowski said.
Figuring out who will pay for transmission improvements is another challenge, said Brian Silverstein, chief engineer for the Bonneville Power Administration. He asked whether local residents where the line is constructed should foot the bill, or if customers in different states benefiting from the power should be asked to chip in, too.
Energy was chosen as the topic of the conference because creating an energy economy is all the talk at the national level, but policies are needed to guide the state's vision, said Ralph Johnson, executive director of the Wheeler Center.
"This really could make Montana a significant player and have a significant impact on our economy," he said.
David Owens, executive vice president of business operations for Edison Electric Institute, the association for U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies, said changes probably are in store under Democratic President-elect Barack Obama.
Owens expects a federal mandate forcing states to require the use of a certain percentage of green energy, and a federal transmission system policy, as well as action on climate change.
Brad Molnar, a Montana Public Service commissioner, urged the audience of policymakers not to get too tough on companies that use coal to make power. If policies become too restrictive, he worries that U.S. companies will take their business and good-paying jobs to China, where there are fewer environmental restrictions.
"What's the cheapest, what's the most abundant (energy source) in the world?" he said. "Coal."
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