Malmstrom and the CTL Plant

It appears there’s more wrangling going on in regards to the Air Force’s idea to have private companies build Coal to Liquid (CTL) plants on Air Force bases. A friend sent me this link from Politico.

Malmstrom AFB is being looked at for a CTL plant, but as I see it the project faces at least two major hurdles:

First, base supporters don’t want the plant to hamper any type of future air operations the base may obtain. I agree with this. The last planes left Malmstrom around 1995. Despite what many in the Air Force say, the runway could be up and running for a few dollars (these are few Federal Government dollars, which means a few million in my terms). The runway is in decent shape and could be reopened by the military. Or, the runway could be used by a private defense or other civilian company if/when the base closes or maybe while the base is open.

Second, another hill to climb according to the Politico article is:

“The Montana Environmental Information Center, based in downtown Helena, is still aiming to derail the project, if it survives in Congress, because of concerns about coal’s notoriously dirty footprint.

“I don’t care who is making the proposal,” said Anne Hedges, the center’s top lobbyist and program director. “The Air Force is not above the law, and there’s no exemption for the Air Force in the Clean Air Act.”

Hedges isn’t making an empty threat. In the past several years, her group has stopped at least four coal plants. Most recently, it blocked the Roundup Power Project, a $910 million, coal-fired power plant proposed by the New York-based Bull Mountain Development Co. by lobbying the state government to revoke the company’s air pollution permit.“

I believe time is quickly running out for Malmstrom AFB. With the new Democratic majority in Congress, Malmstrom recently lost one-quarter of their missile mission which means hundreds of base personnel and their families were reassigned. Then on the same slippery slope, 100 new houses that were going to be built were cancelled. These actions must bring a big smile to the anti-military folks around the area. If another BRAC round happens in the near future, I would be very skeptical that Malmstrom could survive.

It does not appear the future for the base is in a Coal to Liquid plant, but only time (and maybe a few lawsuits) will tell.

Published in: on September 18, 2008 at 7:14 am  Leave a Comment  

Update: More Tampering

Correction: The story “Schweitzer staffer changes ‘Wiki’ entry” is linked on the Great Falls Tribune website HERE. It is on the right side of the page.

In a follow-up to my recent commentary called “More Tampering” it appears the “Wikipedia” editor for the Governor is none other than his spokeswoman, Sarah Elliott (see story below).

She claims it is part of her job. Maybe editing things like this is part of the job, but deleting whole sections is probably taking it just a little too far. The information deleted was accurate and it was sourced. Currently, the information about the Governor’s speech to the trial lawyers convention in July is not listed on his Wikipedia entry.

The U of M College Republicans discovered someone had been deleting the information on Wikipedia about Governor Schweitzer’s tampering with the 2006 U.S. Senate election here in Montana. It appears it was being edited/deleted from a state-owned computer.

The Great Falls Tribune has the story in their hard copy edition, which is posted below. The story appeared in the Thursday, September 18, 2008, edition on Page 3, Section M:

Published in: on September 18, 2008 at 7:14 am  Leave a Comment  

Senate Resolution 636

The U.S. Senate has passed many resolutions in the 110th Congress, which is soon coming to a close.

Remember the one about dirt? The Senate recognized soil as an “essential” natural resource. Now dirt is right up there with water and air. Or the Resolution that honored the Ohio State football team for its 800th win, or the one about National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day.

But the one they haven’t passed is Senate Resolution 636, which was introduced on July 31. S.R. 636 is “A resolution recognizing the strategic success of the troop surge in Iraq and expressing gratitude to the members of the United States Armed Forces who made that success possible.”

As of today, there are 33 co-sponsors for Senate Resolution 636. Barack Obama is not a co-sponsor. Max Baucus and Jon Tester are not listed as co-sponsors, either. Sad.

Meanwhile in the House, House Resolution 511, which is a similar resolution has been languishing since early 2007. HR 511 has 183 co-sponsors, including Montana’s Denny Rehberg. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) is not a co-sponsor. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D) and House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D) aren’t either.

Hey Senate and House members: It’s OK to admit the surge worked because it did. It’s also OK to honor the troops, too, because they are doing a tremendous job.

Vets for Freedom has a new video out about Senate Resolution 636:

Besides calling Barack Obama, Montanans should call Max Baucus and Jon Tester and ask them to show their support of the troops.

Published in: on September 18, 2008 at 7:14 am  Comments (3)