This is a shameful step on the part of Senator Baucus. Montana needs this bill both for the 6,000 jobs it would create (based on research by the University of Massachusetts) and for the opportunity to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and live up to our potential as clean energy producers. Montana ranks 5th in the nation for potential wind energy production but only 18th in the nation for current wind production. Why the difference? Because Big Coal is a powerful lobbying force in Congress and have convinced our leaders as well as much of the public that coal is the only affordable way to go. Sadly, coal includes many hidden costs in the form of health bills, destroyed property values, and lost tourist revenues. And speaking of tourist revenues, Glacier National Park is already down to a third of the glaciers it had in the 19th century. Do we really want Montana to lose out on its national park pride for the sake of coal company profits?

Montana cannot afford the costs of climate change, and we need the financial benefits of the climate bill. Max Baucus must change his ways when the Senate ultimately votes on this bill, and Jon Tester should stand up for the energy and economic needs that Baucus has so far abandoned by standing up for the climate bill and pushing to pass it as soon as possible.