Baucus sends Obama letter over climate change

HELENA (AP) — U.S. Sen. Max Baucus is asking President Barack Obama to consider Montana as the administration develops its policy to deal with climate change.

The president has said rules are needed to curb greenhouse gases.

Baucus sent a letter to Obama on Tuesday asking him to reach out to individual states and avoid a one-size-fits-all solution. He outlined 15 priorities for Montana.

The senator says the president should approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline that runs through Montana, upgrade electric transmission lines to export energy, improve carbon sequestration, better harvest trees in national forests, and other priorities.

Baucus says warmer weather is already causing issues in Montana like earlier spring runoff and decreased snowpack. But he says climate change must be deal with in a way that promotes jobs.