Green groups find doors opening at governor's office

[illflem]

It was a meeting that may not have happened in the four years before Gov. Brian Schweitzer took office.

A few weeks ago representatives from two environmental groups, along with Bozeman Democratic lawmakers, sat down with Schweitzer and the head of the state's environmental enforcement agency to make their case against Holcim Inc.'s use of slag waste at its Trident cement plant.

The delegation got 20 minutes to accuse the company of violating state law and level complaints against the state for ignoring the issue. When it was done, the governor turned to his chief environmental officer and said, "I want you on this like stink on a skunk."

The half-playful comment drew laughs from the people there, but less than a month later, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality announced it was putting on hold a review of the plant's plan to burn tires for fuel, saying it first needed to know what was in the slag.

Anne Hedges of the Montana Environmental Information Center doubts she and the others would have had the chance to make their case before former Gov. Judy Martz, who once labeled environmentalists "obstructionists."

Those doors were closed completely for the four years of Martz's term. Former Gov. Marc Racicot, who served for eight years, would hear environmentalists out but rarely would he act, Hedges said.

"Racicot was all talk," she said.


More http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2005/04/28/news/02greensandgov.txt

Do we have great governor or what?

[keithjx]

1. I work for MT DEQ

as an attorney, and I can tell you this - changes really are happening. I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it myself, but at least in this agency, Schweitzer is making changes. The Director he put at DEQ (Richard Opper) is a really good guy, but doesn't pull punches.

Way to go, boss-fella.
KJ

[havocmom]

2. Miss living in Helena

Would be good to see a government that works for the people.