[MCN] "Making Renewables Work for Montana: a panel discussion" this WED Feb. 8, 7pm, UC Theater--UM

[Jim Parker]

*You are invited to join 350Montana.org's panel discussion, "Making 
Renewables Work For Montana," on Wednesday, February 8, 7 p.m., at UM's 
University Center Theatre (3rd floor)*, which features three presentations:

  • -- Reducing Demand, or "The Cheapest Electricity Is the Watts We Don't
Use" presented by Mary Fitzpatrick, Northern Plains Resource Council,
Billings, and Abby Huseth, Climate Smart Missoula.

  • -- Storing Energy - Industrial Scale Storage and Battery Breakthroughs
presented by Carl Borgquist of Absaroka Energy, Bozeman.

  • -- Making It All Happen in Montana presented by Anne Hedges, Montana
Environmental Information Center, Helena.

Each section will be about 20 minutes followed by a moderated Question 
and Answer section with the audience and panelists at the end.


  350 Montana decided to hold this event in part because Northwestern Energy
(NWE), Montana's largest utility, recently put out a plan for how it wants
to generate electricity in the near future. NWE, over the next 13 years,
wants to build seven new natural gas facilities, comprised of 13 new gas
units to meet "peak demand" and deliver energy to Montana citizens.

“Natural gas plants are currently their choice of energy production,”
said Jerome Walker a 350 Montana leadership team member, “rather than
adding new renewables and utilizing storage options to meet our projected
needs.”

NWE claims that because solar and wind are intermittent, they can't be used
to meet peak demand.

“We at 350 Montana, and many other organizations and allies in Montana,
couldn't disagree more with this claim,” said Jim Parker, another 350
Montana leader and moderator of the panel discussion. “That's why we
decided to hold this panel discussion, to hear different takes on how we
can meet these demands using renewables and emerging storage options.”

350 Montana does not advocate any one solution to the problem of how to
meet peak demand, except to use renewables and developing storage
opportunities for the solution, not climate damaging fossil fuels—a path
that is leading us to global climate catastrophe. Panelists will also
suggest how we as citizens can act now to let our legislative leaders,
decision-makers and energy providers hear from us, and support our demands
for a renewable energy future.

This event is co-sponsored by Citizens Climate Lobby, Climate Smart
Missoula, Faith and Climate Action Montana, Montana Environmental
Information Center, Montana Farmer's Union, Montana Renewable Energy
Association, Northern Plains Resource Council, Reinvest Montana, Sierra
Club, Montana Chapter, Northern Rockies Rising Tide, and Friends United
Against Climate Chaos (Big Sky High School students)

-- 
Jim Parker
350 Leadership Team, Missoula
(406) 396-0985
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