Economic Development

At a recent Economic Affairs committee meeting, the University of Montana demonstrated the findings of their research in biomedicine, biofuels and related technologies. The emphasis was on converting the research to viable businesses and corresponding jobs. I also talked to a professor from Montana Tech about the mining that was going on in Butte and the rest of the state. He commented that approximately 200 people were employed at the Butte mine, but they were doing the work formerly done by 10,000. In the logging industry, technological advances have made the equipment more efficient, but that has also had a corresponding negative effect on the need for manual labor. My conclusion was that SW Montana is not going to see a major resurgence in jobs associated with natural resouces. The future for employment will be technology and people have to assure that they are developing their skills to meet those opportunities. Unfortunately, school enrollment is decreasing and younger people and their children are leaving Montana to find more opportunities in other states. SW Montana has great scenic beauty, recreational and natural resources which are an attraction to both tourists and retired people. Those resources should be developed and marketed to provide opportunities for people to stay in Montana.