Gianforte’s vision to grow Montana’s economy includes C-PACE

One of Governor Gianforte’s current initiatives is to cut red tape in our government to help grow our economy and create good-paying Montana jobs. With his tremendous success as a businessman, I must believe he’s knowledgeable about what helps businesses succeed and thrive.

I’m sure he had this in mind when he signed the Montana C-PACE legislation into law. If business owners can easily finance energy efficiency improvements which pay for themselves, they can be more successful. Like cutting red tape, it makes Montana more business friendly.

One of the best ways local businesses can leverage C-PACE financing is to lessen dependence on traditional fuels and switch to more-affordable Flathead Electric power. Energy retrofits, like installing heat pump space and water heating, greatly lower monthly costs. However, upfront capital investment can be too much of a hurdle. C-PACE allows the immediate efficiency savings to pay for these upgrades without affecting monthly expenses.

Our Flathead County Commissioners are taking a cautious approach to C-PACE in our region. I appreciate when elected leaders take care to research and gather public input before making decisions. As positive C-PACE reports come in from neighboring counties and in Kalispell, and with local business leaders expressing support, I hope Governor Gianforte will soon learn of another win in his state; a Flathead County-approved C-PACE program!

Robin Paone is a volunteer with Flathead Citizens' Climate Lobby and lives in Whitefish.