BILLINGS, Mont. - More than two-thirds of Americans believe the federal government's push for clean energy development will mean new jobs, according to a new Zogby poll that mirrors a Montana state poll conducted last year by Lee Newspapers.

Rhyno Stinchfield, CEO of Montana Wind Resources, Billings, has no doubt thousands of jobs are on the way.

"There are a number of wind farm developments that are just in the early stages. It can easily be $2 billion or $3 billion worth of development."

Stinchfield says the catch is that many of those projects are waiting for incentives included in the U.S. Clean Energy Act passed by the House. That legislation is now before the Senate. Opponents claim it will result in increased prices for consumers and job losses.

A University of Massachusetts-Amherst study shows Montana is set to gain 6,000 clean energy jobs under the federal legislation. Stinchfield says the bill will help shift more wind tower component development to the United States, which will mean even more jobs.

"There is a lot more being developed in this country, and Montana holds a tremendous amount of promise."

The Zogby poll is available at http://zogby.com.




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HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Now through November, Pennsylvania groups will plant an estimated 300,000 trees for fall, as part of a goal of 10 million new trees in the state by 2025.

The Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership is one of the projects the state and organizations are undertaking to get Pennsylvania on track for its 2025 Chesapeake Bay pollution-reduction plan.

By planting 10 million trees, the state can meet its goal of 95,000 acres of riparian buffers, where native trees and shrubs are planted next to waterways to help prevent nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution from finding its way into Chesapeake Bay.

Brenda Sieglitz, senior manager of the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said it has been increasing the biodiversity of the trees they offer, including species such as sugar maple, hazelnut and pawpaw.

"We really encourage people to try and take the trees and not only increase forestation in Pennsylvania but use it as a resource as well to maybe increase food production or use it as a way to maybe add something to their farm by way of fruit and nut production," Sieglitz outlined.

The 10 Million Trees program works with about 200 partners throughout the state to plant trees along waterways, in cities with low tree canopy, and on abandoned mine land. Half of the freshwater flowing into Chesapeake Bay comes from Pennsylvania.

A Ten Million Trees partner, the Swatara Watershed Association, takes care of Swatara Creek, which starts in Schuylkill County and feeds into the Susquehanna River in Dauphin County.

Bethany Canner, vice president of the Association, said they have planted an estimated 750 trees so far. She noted the addition of more trees to the regional landscape has a positive impact on wildlife.

"Every time we put a development in, every time we put a new road in, we're taking away habitat," Canner explained. "The more trees we can get in, it provides a greater habitat that some of these species that need greater chunks of woods to survive, you know, it helps them to be able to survive."

Project partners planted over 1 million trees so far this year and hope to plant 800,000 more this spring.

OLD LYME, Conn. -- Connecticut soon will join a majority of East Coast states in having a federally recognized estuary, which could help identify environmental threats to waterways and natural resources within Long Island Sound.

The creation of a Natural Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) in Connecticut would bring up to $1 million per year for scientific study and education. Supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the proposed reserve areas include up the Connecticut River, which feeds into the eastern part of Long Island Sound.

Patrick Comins, executive director of the Connecticut Audubon Society, said although the reserve funding does not go specifically toward conservation, it will help streamline the efforts.

"What it will do is allow us to collect more data so when there are willing landowners within the boundary, who want to have their land preserved," Comins explained. "This will help to justify the appropriation of funds to protect that property by saying it's a part of the NERR and other great things about the Long Island Sound-Thames-Connecticut River Estuary."

The Audubon Society has been involved in the reserve planning process. NOAA is taking public comments through next Monday, October 18th. Comins noted they expect the specific boundaries of the reserve to be announced by January.

Comins pointed out an estimated 400 species are at risk within the proposed reserve, including the wood turtle and saltmarsh sparrow. He added conducting research for the project has impacted the organization's conservation priorities.

"This process has caused Connecticut Audubon Society to have much more of a focus on our estuary and migratory fishes than we had in the past," Comins emphasized. "And we're hoping that it'll provide a lot more information about these species of conservation concern and allow us to be much more proactive in our conservation effort."

According to the reserve's environmental impact statement, Long Island Sound is considered one of the most valuable estuaries in the country and, similar to other waterways, is under threat from pollution and the effects of climate change.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- With more Latino voters expressing concern about climate change, a new report found a majority of Latinos in the Chesapeake Bay watershed states strongly supports more funding for restoration efforts there, and to increase public access to the bay.

Reed Perry, manager of external affairs for the Chesapeake Conservancy, one of the co-sponsors of the report, said the poll shows Latinos care deeply about climate change and the environment.

He thinks policymakers in Maryland and throughout the bay area need to listen to Latino voters, since the U.S. Census showed the state is becoming one of the most diverse in the nation.

"The Latino community represents a big and growing population in the area and active when it comes to voting," Perry explained. "So I think that this poll is a sign of things to come when it comes to advocating for greater resources and greater protections for environmental protection in the region."

Despite economic challenges from the pandemic, almost 95% of Latinos polled said lawmakers need to continue to fund protections for land, water and wildlife in the bay states. And 93% supported funding to make sure lower-income folks and communities of color have access to parks and natural areas in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Shanna Edberg, director of conservation programs for the Hispanic Access Foundation, which also backed the study, said the Latino population is underrepresented in policymaking on the East Coast, particularly in making laws about the environment.

Yet the report showed Latinos have greater support for climate issues, such as transitioning the country to 100% renewable energy, than other groups.

"There's this idea that people of color don't care about the environment, that they have concerns other than conservation and climate change," Edberg noted. "And this survey completely knocks that idea out of the water."

The survey also showed 84% of Latino voters would support creating a Chesapeake National Recreation area, managed by the National Park Service. The site would unite new and existing parks in the bay region and help fund its restoration.