Letters to the editor Jan. 15
Adopt C-PACE
The Daily Inter Lake editorial board has it right. Regional businesses are missing out by not having the financial benefit of the Montana C-PACE program.
Montana’s C-PACE program simply put, makes energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy investments more attainable for businesses. Our neighbors in Lincoln County were one of the first to see the benefits of this program.
C-PACE saves businesses money. Qualified projects provide immediate ROI with positive cash flow from energy savings. And, lenders provide low-cost financing for businesses using the C-PACE program. As a bonus, energy efficiency improvements result in increased property value.
There’s another reason to act now to get C-PACE up and running in the Flathead. Starting this year, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has increased energy efficiency benefits for commercial buildings. According to Rewiring America, significantly expanded tax credits allow commercial building owners to receive up to $5.00 per square foot to support energy efficiency improvements. Also, the 30% tax credit for solar is back.
C-PACE financing coupled with the IRA is an opportunity that can’t be beat! As volunteer citizen lobbyists we know the power of people just like you picking up the phone to tell elected officials what you would like to see happen. Our county commissioners work for us, the citizens of Flathead County. Give them a call or email today: Brad.Abell@flathead.mt.gov, Pam.Holmquist@flathead.mt.gov and Randy.Brodehl@flathead.mt.gov.
Let’s not let our Flathead County businesses miss out. Join Montana C-PACE.
— Flathead Valley Citizens’ Climate Lobby Volunteers Laurel Eastman, Angie Winter, Robin Paone, and Bret Luedke
Rosendale’s record
Matt Rosendale is an embarrassment for Montana.
He was one of six fringe Republicans who held the House of Representatives hostage during the election of the speaker of the House.
His behavior reminds us of an obstreperous 2-year-old seeking endless negative attention. His congressional legacy is to vote “no, no, no!” In fact, of the 180 bills passed in the House this last session he voted “no” 160 times.
He voted against every bill having to do with veterans (Veteran Service Recognition Act), and the National Defense Authorization, and appropriation bills supporting Ukraine in its valiant effort to avoid annihilation and slaughter. He also voted against supporting Finland and Sweden’s application to join NATO. He even voted against giving thanks and recognition to the brave individuals who defended the U.S. Capitol including him on Jan. 6.
He voted against all bills focusing on women: Right to Contraception, Woman’s Health Protection, and didn’t even bother voting for the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. He voted against anything to do with mental health (Mental Health Matters Act, Mental Health Justice Act) or children’s welfare (Protecting our Kids Act).
He even voted against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, so critical to Montanans. He obviously does not want a government that helps care for our roads, bridges, power grid, national security and creates jobs for Montana. Does he really think that a million Montana citizens can take care of the infrastructure required in a state larger than New York, New England, and Pennsylvania combined?
Matt Rosendale is an immature self-centered man intent on sabotaging our government by creating a spectacle and political gridlock even for his fellow Republicans.
Our Founding Fathers knew maintaining a Constitutional Republic requires competent, representative leadership intent on protecting the delicate constitutional balance of power reserved for individuals, and local, state and national governments. We are a nation that honors the majority, while respecting others, and as modeled by our Founders, we are willing to compromise to preserve the rule of law.
We are the United States of America not the United State of Matt Rosendale.
— Carol and John Santa, Kalispell
30 x 30 scheme
Private property rights have been a cornerstone of American prosperity and independence since it’s founding. There are groups who are attempting to chip away at that by acquisition of our lands, under the guise of preserve and protect, wild and scenic, ReWilding, protect the earth, conservation, public lands in public hands, access to wild places, campaign for nature, endangered species, and earth fund, to name a few.
It is often linked to the climate change agenda — which is wreaking havoc and destroying farms and lives in the Netherlands — astonishingly second only to the U.S. in food exports.
A recent article in the Billings Gazette (“Blackfoot land acquisition completed”, Dec. 28, 2022), extolled the virtues that the American public now owned more land, which will offer more hiking opportunities under the America the Beautiful initiative, which is trying to acquire 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. President Trump had given local county governments the authority to veto acquisitions and Biden has revoked that.
All wealth comes from the land: whether it be crops grown there, cattle grazed there, minerals, oil and gas, water or timber — you have benefited. Whether you have owned and worked the land, or are a recipient of the products produced there, you have benefited.
If you control the land, you control the resources; control the resources and you control the people who depend on them.
Under the 30 x 30 scheme, they aim to control the land and resources, and you can, quite literally, take a hike.
— Linda Lien, Billings