Tuss, Morrow highlight importance of climate council

At the beginning of the month, Gov. Steve Bullock issued an executive order establishing the Montana Climate Solutions Council, to which he appointed two local residents among a lengthy list of other people from across the state.

Paul Tuss of Havre, executive director of Bear Paw Development Corp., and Jayne Morrow of Chinook, assistant vice president of research and economic development at Montana State University, were both appointed to the council by Bullock.

The council is part of a bipartisan coalition of governors across the country, consistent with the Paris Agreement, and is charged with providing recommendations and solutions to environmental issues. Its emphasis is on addressing the needs of communities through appropriate economic development and workforce strategies.

"It's a very big issue," Tuss said, adding that it is important to have, "a better understanding about what is happening with our climate, why it's happening, what forces contribute to the change and how we, as a society, can combat it."

Tuss

Tuss said he was honored to receive the call requesting he sit on the council. He added that he is not an environmental scientist and doesn't work in the environmental field, but what he hopes to bring to the council is his 25 years of experience in economic development and his experience working within the private sector. His experience involves job creation and working with private and public investments to make projects work.

"I'm very hopeful that one of the things that I can bring to the table is a deep understanding about what makes Montana's economy tick," he said.

Something else he can bring is his experience as a member of the board of regents, he said. Montana's university system is a significant part of state governments and has a large footprint across the state. It can also potentially play a role in finding a solution to some of the issues regarding climate change.

He added that he believes the governor's office selected him because of his experience with economic development. The council is made up of the various parts and components of Montana, such as chambers of commerce, private industry and the university system, to better represent the constituents.

"I am hopeful that I will appropriately represent, not just economic development, but northern Montana on this council," he said.

"There is little doubt that the climate has a significant impact on our economy, particularly as it relates to Montana's farm economy, agricultural economy," he said.

He added that he thinks it's important before anyone starts to talk about solutions, they need to have a collaborative conversation with each other about how big of a problem it is, examining how the various sectors of Montana's economy can contribute to finding solutions.

"So rather than picking a solution or two that I think might be important," Tuss said, "I think it's far more important at this point to work collaboratively with the other members of this council to understand this issue better, and to come up with solutions that we can all buy into."

He said climate change has the potential to have a serious and negative impact on, not only the economy, but also society as a whole. The council needs to focus on finding on-the-ground solutions rather than "pie in the sky" solutions, he said. He added that "two heads are better than one," with finding solutions to any complex issue.

"You can certainly argue that it's one of the biggest issues of our time and you don't have to go very far to understand that we do indeed have a change in climate," he added.

The council is fairly new, he said, adding that he is excited to see where it leads.

Tuss said that over the past few years he has been talking with local government officials about how every single year, more or less, it seems parts of Montana have a flooding emergency. Local, statewide and national taxpayers foot the bill, having to constantly repair and rehabilitate the states failing infrastructure.

"Thats real, that's not happening in some far off land, that's not happening in another country, that's happening in northern Montana," he said.

He said that people working together and listening to each other is the best way to find long-term solutions to the problem of climate change. Tuss added that north central Montana is well represented on the council with him and Morrow both sitting on the council.

"Just as I represent economic development, Jayne represents higher education with her role with (Montana State University,)" he said.

Morrow

Morrow said climate change is a unique challenge.

"No one entity is independent, no state. No nation, no company, we're all in this together and I think that Montana is actually very uniquely positioned because we have a great sense of community," she said. "There is a close-knit nature to Montana."

"We know each other and therefore we can trust each other to work together and find opportunities to work together to really grow," she said.

Morrow, and engineer originally from Montana, said that while living in Washington, D.C., for 14 years, she worked on a number of projects with several groups, such as scientists and federal agencies, to improve communication opportunities and find answers to complex issues. Some of the projects she worked on were getting firefighters the support they needed from federal agencies to respond to the biological threats that came shortly after the 9/11 attacks in the early 2000s.

She added that a big part of her job was finding creative solutions and opportunities for people to work together.

"People who have a common story, they understand each other and can work together to find meaningful solutions," she said.

She said she is excited about sitting on the council and the opportunity to listen and speak with people about climate change. The Hi-Line is forgotten at times, but with her and Tuss sitting on the council, she thinks it is a chance to really represent the people in the area and convey what they are seeing and what they are concerned about. Alone, many of the communities in the area don't have a voice, but together they will be able to be heard, she said.

Agriculture is evolving, she said, with huge improvements in scientific methods being used in precision and autonomous systems. The advancements in technology are coming into focus and can be useful in helping address big issues like climate change. She added that agriculture is very dependent on the climate and producers are already making headway with what is possible, using more precise measurements, information and data to make informed decisions.

Morrow said that on behalf of the university she is already exploring those opportunities, adding that new advancements in technology can help the agricultural industry grow and find new opportunities regarding climate.

"I think it's important to look at where the science is and think about what that means for our futures," she said.

She added that it is also important the council listen to the people of Montana and hear their ideas. Morrow said many of them in the agricultural field are already adapting to climate change and may have information they can contribute to the council.

"I think it's important to talk about it," she said.

She said the council is an opportunity to speak with Montanans who are the ones who see it and are impacted by it in their everyday lives.

"The people in Montana are so incredibly creative and innovative," Morrow said, adding that was one of the reasons she wanted to move back to Montana.

Growing up in the state, she said the Montana values and mindset helped her build her into who she is and how she thinks. When Montanans face an issue, it doesn't deter them, they look for answers, and this way of thinking was what she wanted for her children, she said.

What gets her up every morning, is she wants to make a better world for the future, she said.

"I want to be able to tell them when they ask me, 'I gave it my all, kids,'" she said.