Schweitzer administration to form climate council

HELENA (AP)--Gov. Brian Schweitzer says he wants Montana to have a new council that will identify, by 2007, ways to reduce greenhouse gases produced in the state.

Schweitzer recently sent a letter to Richard Opper, director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, asking him to establish the group. The Climate Change Advisory Board, which Opper said he will begin forming next month, will consist of Montanans from throughout the state.

"The more oil we consume, the scarcer and more expensive the resource becomes," Schweitzer wrote. "At the same time, the more oil we consume, the more greenhouse gas emissions we produce."

Causes of climate change have been debated widely. Some say industrial pollution that collects in the atmosphere warms the planet through a process called the greenhouse effect. Others say that claim is not supported by sound science.

In Montana, drought has hurt agriculture and tourism, fishing and forests, Schweitzer wrote. He said rising costs for energy hurt Montanans unable to absorb the additional expense.

The governor said he wants the new board to identify ways of conserving energy in Montana. The letter mentions his policies that favor wind energy, biofuels and conversion of coal to diesel fuel.

"I'm delighted to see the governor taking global warming pollution as the serious threat that it is," said Jim Jensen, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center. Previously, Jensen has criticized Schweitzer's environmental record.

"Developing Montana's clean energy resources is the best way to hold down energy costs and build jobs, while protecting land, air, wildlife and water," Jensen said.

Date:1/25/06