After some extensive research of her own, County Commissioner Kathleen Driscoll has come out against the controversial proposal by the Ravalli County Road and Bridge Department to reopen the Lost Horse Quarry for production of high quality chip-seal aggregate. In the meantime, Road and Bridge Department Supervisor David Ohnstad has already submitted an amended proposal that would shorten the time frame of the operation from ten years to five and change the product from relatively small sized chip-seal aggregate to larger rocks used for riprap.

The original proposal failed to gain commission approval when the board tied two to two in a vote with Driscoll abstaining. She said at the time that she needed more information about the real cost of the project before she could cast a vote.

Then last Thursday, Driscoll presented her findings to her fellow commissioners complete with poster-sized charts and bags of sample rocks showing various products of the county gavel crushing operation, including the high quality aggregate that was originally proposed to be produced.

Based upon consultation with various experts and professionals in the county, in Missoula and even in Helena, Driscoll arrived at a final cost estimate for the project that was double the road department's estimate. In a memo describing the project, Ohnstad had estimated the cost of producing the desired aggregate from the Lost Horse Quarry site at $11.25 per ton. According to Driscoll's analysis, the cost would be more like $23.75 per ton. Current cost of chip-seal aggregate from private contractors in the valley is $11 to $14 per ton.

Driscoll criticized Ohnstad's estimates for omitting many of the real costs. She said that no department ever works at 100 percent efficiency and suggested that expectation of 90 percent efficiency was more realistic. This would change the estimate for labor costs from $455 per hour to $505 per hour in her analysis. She also argued that the county's crushing machine could not realistically produce the tonnage per hour estimated by the department. She said that production of tonnage per hour was also reduced by about 25 percent when it was considered that a quarter of the material produced from the crusher was not suitable for use as chip-seal aggregate. This factor alone, she said, would increase the cost per ton another $1.47 over the county's estimate. She also noted that every expert or professional she consulted told her it was impossible to make a crushing operation cost effective if chip-seal aggregate is the only product. Although other product will be produced, that product was slated to be given to the U.S. Forest Service, she said.

"This is clearly a case where buying from the private sector is the right way to go. It is apparent that, based upon finances alone, a 'no' vote on entering the quarry for a crushing operation is the correct vote for me," Driscoll told her fellow commissioners.

Commissioner Alan Thompson said that he did not know whose numbers were correct, the road department's or Driscoll's, but that a lot of time and effort could be wasted by the road department if it tried to analyze her figures and respond.

"I think we would be better off to just vote on the project and move forward," said Thompson. He also said that it seemed like Driscoll was trying to discredit the road department or embarrass it. He asked if they were going to examine the Sheriff's Department, the Public Health Nurse, or the Environmental Health Department in the same way.

Driscoll said that was not her plan, but that she had to dig into the analysis of these costs in order to make the right decision about an important matter.

Commissioner James Rokosch stated that a lot of other costs besides those mentioned by Driscoll had still not been addressed in the calculations. He said that there was the potential cost of reclamation of the site, dust abatement costs, and potential road modifications and repairs related to all the heavy hauling that still weren't being considered.

Commissioner Greg Chilcott said that, although he appreciated Driscoll's effort, she was not an expert but the head of the road department was and he was inclined to trust the expert. But he also said that originally the discussion about the project had centered on its potential effects upon recreational opportunities and not so much on whether this was an efficient, financially responsible operation.

"This is a new perspective to me, a new argument to this debate," said Chilcott. He said that he would like to hear from the road department about it.

"I did not know there was going to be a side show," said Ohnstad. "I am amazed that in the course of this charade the Road and Bridge Department was not contacted one time. The county Road Foreman has been operating gravel crushing plants for 40 years in Montana and when it comes down to it, I will take his advice over unknown others, unnamed others, every single time. That's the position he's in. That's the position I'm in."

With regard to the gravel operation, Ohnstad did not dispute any of Driscoll's numbers. Instead, he introduced a new plan that he had submitted at the beginning of the week. The new plan abandons the production of chip-seal aggregate in favor of larger armor rocks to be used in riprapping. He called the need for large armor rocks an "ongoing and immediate need," for example in the Kootenai Creek bridge repairs. He defended the notion of giving the aggregate rock produced in the screening process to the Forest Service for use on their roads in the area. He said that improved roads for recreational access benefited the county economy.

Ohnstad also said that the active crushing in the area would take place within a five-year period instead of the original ten-year plan, although stockpiles of rock produced in the five-year period would be accessible over an additional five-year period on a project by project basis. He said that it would mean a significant reduction in trips on the road. The operating window for mining has been reduced to three months, September 1 to November 31, with the actual operation only taking place for 4 to 6 weeks within that 3-month window.

Commissioner Rokosch said that he understood the concept of the value of increased recreational opportunities but that he would still need a cost benefit analysis of the amended proposal. Ohnstad agreed to provide one. No decision was made on the question, as it was not on the agenda for a decision and no meeting for a future decision was scheduled.

GSK expansion will bring jobs

By Michael Howell

The ribbon was cut by Governor Brian Schweitzer last Thursday, officially opening the doors to GlaxoSmithKline's newly expanded facility north of Hamilton. The 130,000-square-foot addition will increase the local manufacturing capability of the company and add about 130 new jobs to the local economy. GSK Biologicals primarily produces vaccines and a strong vaccine adjuvant, Monophosphoryl Lipid A, known by its initials MPL. Adjuvants are added to vaccines to enhance their effectiveness.

GSK's Hamilton facility started as a small biotechnology company known as Ribi ImmunoChem Research, Inc. (RIR). It was founded in 1981 by four scientists from Rocky Mountain Laboratory who shared a vision of harnessing the potent immune-stimulating power of bacterial cell wall components to create novel therapies for cancer and infectious diseases. From that research it was recognized that MPL was a strong vaccine adjuvant.

In 1999 Corixa Corporation, a Seattle-based biotechnology company, purchased RIR. Corixa was in turn acquired by Belgium-based GSK Biologicals in June 2005 after a long history of partnership. In 2005, GSK began a $2 billion expansion effort aimed at accelerating the development of a global vaccine production infrastructure. The Hamilton plant, along with acquisitions in Canada and Pennsylvania, is part of that initiative. GSK's growth plans call for several new vaccines to be launched in the United States and globally over the next few years. Hamilton's production of MPL is integral to these plans. More than 60 percent of GSK's vaccine pipeline is supported by adjuvant technology. The company currently produces about 23 different vaccines.

The origins of the pharmaceutical research company associated with the names Smith and Kline goes back to the turn of the century and the establishment of a drug store in Philadelphia. Glaxo was a name registered in 1906 by Joseph Nathan and Company as a trademark for dried milk. A vitamin D preparation called Ostelin became Glaxo's first pharmaceutical product. Over the decades these companies developed independently, buying up and merging with many other companies. GSK was finally formed in 2001 through the merger of Glaxo Wellcome with SmithKline Beecham.

The company produces medicines for six major disease areas including asthma, virus control, infections, mental health, diabetes, and digestive conditions. It produces over the counter medicines such as Gavison, Pendol and Tums; dental products such as Aquafresh and Macleans; smoking control products Nicorette and Niquitin; and nutritional health care drinks, such as Lucodaze, Ribena, and Horlicks. It conducts research related to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. And it currently supplies one quarter of the world's vaccines. The vaccine driving the latest facility expansion in Hamilton has to do with the production of Cervarix, a vaccine to treat cervical cancer. It has already been approved for use in Australia and the Philippines and FDA approval for distribution in the U.S. is expected within months.

Vice President John Picken told those gathered for the opening celebration in Hamilton that the $137 million expansion project would raise the number of employees at the plant to 300 by the end of the year, but that there was the long range potential for it to increase that number to 700 or 800. He also remarked that adjuvant technology is what brought GSK to Hamilton and that the company retained as many people as possible who had worked on the development of the technology over the years.

Kent Meyers, Hamilton Plant Site Director who worked at RIR on the initial development of MPL, is one of those that spent years developing the adjuvant. Meyers noted that the new jobs being created by the expansion cover all levels of education and training and range from straight manufacturing to advanced scientific positions.

Referring to the company's long range goal of boosting employment at the facility to 700 or 800 employees, Governor Brian Schweitzer noted that the largest employer in the state has 2,200 employees.

"When you get to 700 or 800 employees, you're on the speed dial of the governor's telephone," said Schweitzer. He praised GSK's investment in the community and in the state of Montana and said that these kinds of good paying jobs help keep Montana's best and brightest workers in the state.

"This goes beyond economic development," said Hamilton Mayor Jessica Randazzo. "This is an economic explosion." She said that the developments at the GSK facility are putting Hamilton on the map, not just on the U.S. map but on the world map.

Nobel Prize winner speaks on global warming

By Stan Roden

On October 15 at Stevensville's Chantilly Theatre, Dr. Steven W. Running, who – along with Former Vice President, Al Gore, and many other scientists around the world – was awarded the recent Nobel Peace Prize for 2007, delivered a convincing review of the scientific evidence on why man's fossil fuel burning activities contribute significantly to global warming.

Dr. Running also delivered a stinging indictment of both the "gutless politicians" and an "apathetic public" who have failed to react quickly enough to this significant threat to our current social, economic and environmental existence. He pointed out that while it may not be too late to take effective action to improve the situation, "even if mankind around the world went 'cold turkey' in terms of its energy policies, 90% of the excess energy generated by greenhouse gases is stored in the oceans," which he pointed out dissipates "slowly" over time, thereby causing more climate upheavals like rising sea levels and increased hurricane activities such as Katrina.

When asked if there are things that can be done to avoid catastrophe, he indicated only ordinary people will have to make the "necessary sacrifices," and there must be a "political will and international leadership" to tackle the issues on a global scale. Instead, he pointed there is, "a paucity of international leadership to make it happen."

He likened the current situation to the Elizabeth Kubler-Ross five stages of dying, which analogy he developed in a recent paper entitled, "The Five Stages of Climate Grief." In it, Running concludes with this thought:

"Large social changes always unavoidably breed pain for some and new opportunity for others, depending much on how rapidly people react to new realities. We really need most of our political, business and intellectual leaders to reach Stage 5, acceptance, in order to move forward, as a nation, and as a global citizenry. There is no guarantee that we can successfully stop global warming, but doing nothing given our present knowledge is unconscionable. How otherwise can we look into our grandchildren's eyes?"

From a global perspective, the rise in ocean temperatures is one of the most "damaging parts of the global warming process," a statement made by Running, which he attributed to James Hansen, the foremost expert on climate change. (Hansen delivered a recent President's Lecture series at UM.) Closely allied to this problem, Running said, is the build up of ocean acidification, which tends to drive the ph levels of the oceans and calcium carbonate down, which ultimately results in "no coral reefs."

Running drove home the point that there is no legitimate debate in the worldwide scientific community that overall climate changes are a direct result of human fossil burning activity. He pointed out that scientists from dozens of disciplines, which he has said in the past includes 99% of the legitimate ones, have conclusively established that the overall climate change is a direct and proximate result of human fossil fuel burning and release of greenhouse gasses.

Running predicted specifically for Montana that the single greatest impact will be extended wildfire seasons. Since 1978, he said, "the fire season in the west is 78 days longer," with four times the number of fires burning "in excess of 1000 acres and six times the number of overall acres burned." The faster melting of the higher elevation snow packs is linked to the increase of fire dangers at higher elevations. Running pointed out that "these fires cannot be put out." They go out only when the snows return, and he also pointed out that the scientific evidence demonstrates that snowfall is "significantly lower" than in the past. He said there was a reasonable chance that Missoula's Snowbowl would have to shut down in approximately 50 years. He also pointed out that the confluence of "huge frontal winds coupled with large fires" could potentially "burn everything between Helena and Spokane in one day."

"According to credible studies, there is a strong probability that if the current situation is left unchecked, there will be no glaciers left at Glacier National Park," he stated. Last year the best estimate was that this catastrophe would occur in 2030. Today, Running suggested that scientists predict it could be as early as 2020.

With the shorter, milder winters, there will be longer growing seasons, but there also will be decreasing summer stream flows and more droughts. It's still an open question whether Montana, over time, will get more precipitation. It is difficult to predict at this point whether Missoula will ultimately emulate the climate patterns of the wetter "Portland or (the drier) Salt Lake City."

Dr. Running also predicted the changes in the Montana ecosystems. This will include earlier crop planting dates; more forest/range/crop productivity; decreased deer/elk winterkill; increased forest insect/disease trends; more aquatic ecosystem degradation, low dissolved oxides and higher water temps, and more aquatic recreation limits.

On a more global scale, world population, especially in China, India and Southeast Asia, is estimated to grow approximately 50% in the next 50 years. This will be nearly 3 billion more people. This growth, coupled with brisk economic development and rising standards of living, will create an even greater demand for oil and other energy sources. These sources are largely located in highly unstable places around the world, i.e. the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa, to name just a few. This instability has a tendency, along with increased demand, to drive up oil prices. (According to the AP Wire Service, on October 19, the unrest in Turkey and northern Iraq is credited with driving up oil prices to a record setting $90 per barrel.)

As countries continue to develop, principally China and India, this will significantly increase the already growing gap between available oil resources and demand. Running indicated the current consumption of oil is two times the amount that is discovered on an annual basis. He cited some economists who believe that unrest in the oil producing countries will drive up oil to $200 per barrel. That would convert to gas prices at the pump of approximately $6-8 per gallon (or more).

Running made it crystal clear that scientists cannot do more. It is up to the policy makers and politicians. During the Q&A, Running pointed out that large chains, like Wal-Mart, are starting to make "green" decisions - "they are not in denial" any longer.

He also made reference to Jared Diamond's book, "Collapse." The current situation of "rising carbon dioxide and decreasing oil and energy supplies," said Running, is a recipe for the type of unsustainable situations that led to the demise of many civilizations.

Running's lecture suggests a gloomy, perhaps catastrophic future. However, he stressed that "it's not too late" to make major changes by substantially lowering the world's use of hydrocarbon fuels and energy. "We can get out of this if we want to," he said. We as consumers can make different choices, such as driving hybrid cars instead of gas guzzling SUVs and giving up our love affair with big green lawns, that take large amounts of water and pesticides, in favor of xeriscape/xeroscape solutions, to name just a few. Running said we all have to participate in the solutions, "We all have to make it happen."

Running's talk was sponsored by the Bitterroot Chapter of the Audubon Society, which along with the national and state chapters, has taken up the cause of reversing global warming in order to protect our environment and wildlife.

Dr. Running is a terrestrial ecologist and Professor of Ecology at the University of Montana. His primary research interest is the development of global and regional ecosystem biogeochemical models by integration of remote sensing with climatology and terrestrial ecology. He is a Team Member for the NASA Earth Observing System, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and is responsible for the EOS global terrestrial net primary production and evaporative index datasets.

State looks at geothermal energy potential

By Michael Howell

Since taking office at the start of the 110th Congress, Montana Senator Jon Tester has been making periodic telephone calls to his home state to keep in touch with the citizens. They take place in the form of conference calls to the state's newspapers. The latest occurred on Tuesday, October 17, with several Northwestern Montana news reporters.

Tester told reporters about his invitation to business and governmental leaders from Iceland to come to Montana. They did indeed visit our state the following weekend visiting Helena and Butte to explore Montana's potential for geothermal development.

"This is cutting edge stuff," said Tester. "Iceland is the world's leader when it comes to tapping geothermal energy." He said that Iceland gets 27 percent of its electricity from hot springs and nearly all of the homes are heated with geothermal power.

A reporter for the Whitefish Pilot noted that the ski season was approaching, which is very important economically for the state, and once again resorts, hotels and fast food restaurants were preparing to import foreign laborers from Eastern block countries, South America and the Philippines. She asked if Tester had any comment about the shifting labor market in the state.

"A couple of things," he said. "I've met with folks in your neck of the woods and in Gallatin Valley and Billings about the workforce problems. We just don't have enough people." He said that a lot of the jobs we have are not high skill jobs but they pay pretty good wages. He said a lot of the jobs pay $12 to $15 per hour with some benefits, so they are not bad wages. Based on the employment statistics, he said, there are some people out there that could be working but choose not to.

He said that the community and businesses need to work with the local community college, the high schools, and the state university and college of technology to make sure they are responding to the needs.

"But until we get enough people to work, we will depend on outside sources," said Tester.

He said that if the local businesses were hiring foreigners to save money on wages, to pay less to people coming in, "then we'd have a problem. But if wages are reasonable and they can't find help, then we need to help them out any way we can."

A reporter for the Hungry Horse News asked Tester for his thoughts on the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act.

"What I'd really like to see happen is something like what is happening in Northwestern Montana where environmentalists and folks in the logging industry are sitting down at the same table and figuring out how we can manage our forests in a way that benefits everybody," said Tester. "The same thing is happening in the Beaverhead, in the Deerlodge and in the Blackfoot. Those are the kinds of efforts I'd like to see happen. It's those kinds of efforts that lead to setting aside land for forest restoration, for logging and areas for wilderness. That's the best way to do it where everybody has a say in the process."

A reporter for the Bitterroot Star asked Tester if he had an opinion on the Federal Shield Law and the current Act being considered by the House which proposes to protect reporters from being forced to reveal confidential sources.

Tester said that while it was not on the Senate's plate right now, that unless it deals with a matter of national security, "and that means that it's pretty darn important and pretty darn bullet proof in that regard," that a reporter should be able to keep his confidences.

"If a source tells you something in confidence," said Tester, "and says I'll give you this information only if you don't tell anybody where it came from, I think that's the deal and you ought to live up to it and I don't think the government should be making you reveal it."

A reporter from the Mineral County News asked if Tester had a response to the President's recent criticisms of Congress.

Tester said it was the previous Congress that didn't get much done. He said that this Congress had passed one of the best things that could happen to the country in the form of a children's health bill and that the President vetoed it. He noted that this Congress had passed the most comprehensive ethics reforms since Watergate, an energy bill that will increase renewables, and increased the minimum wage and gave small businesses a tax break in the process.

"That's just a few things that I remember. We've done a lot of good work," said Tester.

Tester said that he hopes the President comes back and says he made a mistake vetoing the children's health bill.

"They try to couch it is for adults and people with $80,000 incomes," said Tester, "but that's not being honest. There were waivers requested by individual states and the Bush administration approved those waivers, raising those rates, so anything along those lines, he's created the only problem himself."

A reporter for the Bitterroot Star noted that the use of private security forces in Iraq has been in the news a lot lately, especially news about Blackwater Security Company and the Iraqis wanting them out. He asked if Tester had any thoughts, first, about the use of private security forces on such a large scale in our armed forces strategy, and secondly, about the problem of these security forces being beyond the law.

Tester said that there is a tremendous lack of transparency and openness around these contractors. "Whether its funds being misused or stolen, in this case taxpayer dollars, or whether it's the fact that these security forces live outside the military law and the law of the countries they are working in, I think it's a bad thing," said Tester. "It's an embarrassment," he said.

He said that eight freshman Senators had set up a commission on war-time contracting as a bipartisan effort to prevent fraud and waste and abuse in order to gain oversight of the process. He said that their legislation was passed earlier this month and he thinks it will help in holding some of the contractors more responsible for their actions. He said the bottom line is that we have a military to protect this country and it's doing a heck of a job all over the world, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said the military should be our first option and not some contractors.

"I think that our military security should be left up to our military," said Tester. He said that he had seen information that one in six dollars was ending up in somebody's pocket where it didn't belong.

"I'm bothered by it a lot," he said. "We have passed some bills to help bring it under control, but it's kind of out of control at this time."

The Senate passed the 2008 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill on October 16. That bill sets aside $5.2 million for various projects across Montana that will improve public safety that include:

• $500,000 for the statewide Montana Meth Project

• $200,000 for the Billings Police Department for purchase of a new crime scene investigation vehicle

• $300,000 for Montana State University-Billings for its Academic and Workforce Development Program at the Montana Women's Prison.

• $300,000 for Gallatin County to purchase two emergency response vehicles

• $500,000 to the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers assoc. for Montana Offender Notification and Tracking System, which will track offenders with GPS technology

• $350,000 for statewide Montana drug courts

• $500,000 for the Chippewa Cree Nation's Juvenile Detention Center Renovation Project

• $500,000 for classroom and office space for the Great Falls Emergency Services advanced Regional Training center

• $650,000 to purchase equipment and vehicles for a new Missoula Police Headquarters

• $100,000 to purchase communications equipment for the Missoula Emergency Operations Center

• $350,000 to improve the University of Montana's Montana Youth Empowerment Project, which helps at-risk children

• $250,000 to purchase radios for the Mineral County's Search and Rescue

• $250,000 to upgrade the Eureka Justice Center

• $200,000 to improve the Whitefish Police Department

• $250,000 for Kalispell's Flathead 911 Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System.

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