Former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer introduces his Montana Restoration Economy initiative at the Pay Dirt Conference sponsored by Western Progress in Missoula, Montana on October 3, 2007.
The Pay Dirt conference brought together experts from around the Rocky Mountain West to discuss how environmental restoration projects can mean good jobs and vibrant economies for western communities.
Note from Storm: The Montana Restoration Economy was a direct outgrowth of my 2002 book, The Restoration Economy. Governor Schweitzer got me involved in deisging and launching it, and I keynoted his first Governor’s Restoration Forum in Billings in 2006. Three years later, the first report on the initiative was published, which documented its impressive ROI, in terms of both money and jobs.