Media Coverage

…Some suggest sending the firefighting bill to the counties and cities that let people build houses in fire zones, or allow developers to design subdivisions with little consideration to potential flammability. Headwaters Economics, a research firm in Bozeman, Mont., suggests considering cost-sharing agreements between agencies and local government, zoning limitations, purchase of land or easements in fire-prone areas, raising insurance rates in fire zones, or eliminating mortgage interest deductions for new homes in the fringes. We might even reduce federal firefighting budgets to force more costs onto local agencies. These are among possible solutions, none necessarily advocated, but they all would force the firefighting costs closer to the people who make the land-use decisions… (more…)

…However they’re defined, green jobs have grown over the past few years. And that has predictably piqued interest from economists and government, said Julia Haggerty, an analyst who has evaluated green job counts for Headwaters Economics, based in Montana.

“It may seem like there’s a lot of attention, but that would probably also be true if we were talking about biotech 15 years ago, or any other nascent part of the economy that’s seen rapid growth,” Haggerty said. One of the major reasons governments want to track green jobs is to validate or inform policies that affect the industry, she said… (more…)

…Working with Montana-based Headwaters Economics, The Rural West Initiative has published a comprehensive multimedia report, combining a rigorous economic and policy analysis with a 31-minute interactive video documentary called “An Unquiet Landscape: The American West’s New Energy Frontier.”

The video feature looks at three rural western communities at different stages of the process of energy development: North Dakota, where a recent drilling frenzy has pushed it to the third-highest oil production in the U.S.; western Wyoming, where residents are coping with air pollution and habitat destruction after a decade of oil and gas exploration; and eastern Wyoming, where residents of one of the state’s poorest communities pin their hopes on a boom on the local Niobrara formation.… (more…)

…Across the country, from Bozeman, Mont., to Burlington, Vt., many towns offer outdoor recreation and beautiful scenery. Many of them are investing in parks and trails for the same reason Duluth is.

Ray Rasker, director of Headwaters Economics in Bozeman, said such communities want talented workforces. But their larger aim, he said, is to lure “footloose entrepreneurs.”

In the digital age, he said, entrepreneurs can build a business wherever they want — as long as the talent is there.

“So there’s this competition to try and create an attractive place to live,” Rasker said. “That’s how you attract a really talented workforce. And that’s what you need to succeed in a global economy.”…

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…A number of studies by Headwaters Economics have documented post-designation job and personal income growth in communities near new national monuments. Across the country, protected public lands draw millions of visitors each year and are vital to our nation’s $646 billion outdoor recreation economy, which supports over 6 million jobs… (more…)

…A new report by a Bozeman-based economic analysis firm says that communities along the Rocky Mountain Front have seen slow, steady growth with per-capita income and average earnings per job being 10 to 15 percent greater than elsewhere in Montana [“Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front”].

The research paper by Headwaters Economics — which was commissioned by the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front — also says future income and job growth can be experienced if residents and businesses take steps to preserve their natural resources.

Chris Mehl, policy director for Headwaters, said that with telecommuting capabilities, many people can live just about anywhere they like, and many of those are flocking to areas where public lands create wide, open spaces. He added that as the baby boomers age, more and more are retiring to Western states.

“We’re seeing people making location decisions based on the quality of life as well as on jobs,” Mehl said. “We found that higher protection of lands means greater populations and jobs.”… (more…)

…Public lands are an asset and an investment for the future in Lewis and Clark, Cascade and Teton counties. That’s one of the conclusions of a new economic report on the Rocky Mountain Front region that was presented Wednesday to the Helena Chamber of Commerce.

Headwaters Economics policy director Chris Mehl, who prepared the results, says the region has seen slow and steady growth and has potential for much more across all sectors if natural assets – such as public lands – are leveraged.

“So, everything from health care and technology and services to also agriculture – to things like hunting and fishing and the outdoor-recreation economy.”

Mehl says public lands on the Front are connected to more than 10,000 tourism and recreation jobs – jobs that mostly stayed intact even through the recession.… (more…)

A new economic report for the rocky mountain front region was unveiled today at the Helena Chamber of Commerce. Bozeman Headwaters Economics developed the plan after analyzing historic and contemporary conditions for Cascade, Lewis and Clark and Teton counties.

Chris Mehl, Policy Director for Headwaters Economics, says the plan will leverage the regions existing economic assets to enhance future growth and prosperity. Mehl says by preparing for future growth it’s also important to protect wilderness already established.

Mehl says, “The biggest benefit is it keeps it the way it is now. It will look in how it’s managed so you know that these hunting numbers are likely to continue. The people have public lands grazing there can continue. so that economic livelihood will continue.”… (more…)

…”Everybody knows that firefighting costs are going up, and everybody knows the WUI has a lot to do with it,” says Ray Rasker, director of Headwaters Economics, an independent research group in Bozeman, Montana. According to the group’s data, the U.S. government is spending as much as $3 billion a year to fight wildfires — twice what was being spent 10 years ago. “About a third of those costs are for defending homes,” Rasker adds.… (more…)

…Based on federal data sources, Headwaters Economics, U.S. BLM, and U.S. Forest Service produce a detailed socialconomic profile at the county level. The profile, 42 pages long, contains tables and charts that illustrate long-term trends in population; employment and personal income by industry; average earnings, business development; retirement and other non-labor income; cross-county commuting patterns; and agriculture.

The profile is to help community leaders, planners, and residents understand the makeup of their local economy and the trend, identify opportunities for economic development, prepare for potential problems that arise from a changing economy. With a common base, the performance of local economy can be compared with that of the nation and state.… (more…)

…Headwater Economics, a nonprofit organization that studies the economics of natural resources, recently released a report on The Economic Value of Public Lands Around Grand County, Utah. The report analyzes the major economic role that public lands near Grand County, Utah play in the region. The study examined a wide range of public land uses, including mining and agriculture, but focused on recreation because this type of use represents the largest, most complex, and least understood activities on public lands in that county.

The study found that more than one-third of households have a member that works in a tourism and recreation business related to public lands. Nearly two-thirds of local residents indicate that public lands are “extremely important” to their businesses. Tourism and recreation on public lands are the largest economic sector in Grand County. Businesses operating in these areas are the main drivers of the local economy (accounting for 44% of private employment) and also produce a significant amount of tax revenue (16% of local government revenue). … (more…)

…In the 1960s, Colorado had about 460 fires a year that burned an average of 8,000 acres, according to a report compiled from state forest service records. In the past 10 years, the state averaged about 2,500 fires a year that consumed about 100,000 acres.

Climate change plays a role. Higher average temperatures mean the snowpack recedes earlier, and the fire season is extended in some places by almost two months. A study in Montana found that a rise of one degree in summer temperatures doubles costs of protecting a home against fire…

One of four Colorado homes is in a red zone, the places most vulnerable to wildfires. One-fifth of forested private land bordering public wild land in Colorado has been developed — the largest proportion in the Rocky Mountain West, according to an independent research group, Headwaters Economics. Local officials are loath to impose tighter zoning; this is the scenic real estate that attracts companies and workers.… (more…)

…Earlier this year an economic analysis was done by the non-profit group Headwaters Economics on the economic importance of National Monuments to local communities. The group’s associate director, Ben Alexander, offered his predictions for the socioeconomic effects a monument designation would have on Chafee County. “Over the last several decades, public lands have been correlated with growth of personal income. In rural areas, public lands are much more important economically.”

Alexander described Chaffee County as an aging population with smaller families, a county where people are not moving in and deaths have been outstripping births in the last decade. For Chaffee County to succeed, Alexander suggested capitalizing on the 80 percent of public lands that are available in the county. He also mentioned Salida and Buena Vista’s “natural positioning” as gateways on the north and south ends of the proposed approximately 20,000 acres of Browns Canyon National Monument.… (more…)

A striking series of new reports has recently been released by Headwaters Economics, a high-tech nonprofit that offers a unique blend of economic research skills and on-the-ground experience-that offers  New Mexico the specific, accurate data that we need when making political and economic judgments that will lead to sustainable regional development.

“Touchy” subjects such as oil and gas drilling and production, the role of Federally Protected lands, housing development and wildfires, and other elements that tend to be rapidly politicized, often relying on dubious industry statistics and analysis. The reports aim to improve community development and land management decisions in the West.… (more…)

…The worst fire in Colorado history is only halfway contained, and in the suburbs of Colorado Springs, residents and former residents are discovering what happens when a forest fire comes to town. Some cars are nothing but charred metal and some homes are burned to the ground, while, in the same neighborhood, other houses have not been touched. Fires are also raging in Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and South Dakota. Climate change is drying out the forests, creating fuel for fires expected to increase individual property loss, human misery and federal taxes. Studies show that local government agencies allow development near dense forests, knowing that the cost of fire-fighting will be covered by Washington. We update the current outbreaks and ask, is it politics that’s preventing prudent planning?

Guests: Jeremy Meyer: Denver Post, Ray Rasker: Headwaters Economics, Harris : US Department of Agriculture, Kevin Jeffries: California State Assembly, Michael Kodas: author and journalist.… (more…)

…Chris Mehl of Headwaters Economics in Bozeman, Mont., said productivity gains in modern mills have reduced industry jobs. Headwaters’ analysis suggests far less would be generated, especially with the current depressed timber markets.

“Even if the bill worked, the scale of created jobs will be small,” Mehl said. “The jobs will pay well because workers will have to be able to operate a variety of highly complicated equipment, but will be few in number compared to 30 years ago.”

He and environmentalists support more logging but seek more balanced development and federal land policy that also promotes fish and wildlife habitat restoration. Labrador’s bill promotes industrial forestry like states do on their land, Mehl said.

“What would be gained, or lost, in favoring the one industry over others and the repeal of the environmental safeguard laws?” Mehl asked.

—Idaho Statesman

…The report report showed that in Colorado mining, which includes oil and gas, represented 1% of overall employment in 2010. Conversely, Green Jobs represented 2.2% of all employment. That is a good news, bad news story which does not translate into greater economic impact….

According to the authors of the report, “the purpose of this report is to educate decision makers and the public about the current health of Colorado’s oil and gas industry, what factors are affecting the energy sector, and how the state can better benefit from its fossil fuel industry.”… (more…)

…As commissioners, all three counties that we represent, Beaverhead, Madison, and Jefferson, had differing opinions about the line. One thing we had in common though was the desire for information gathered on our terms by an independent, trusted source.

That’s why we sought outside assistance to help us better understand these issues, conduct research based on our own questions and priorities, and ideally weigh in on the MSTI siting process in an informed manner.

The MSTI Review Project, a collaboration between Madison, Jefferson and Beaverhead counties, along with five non-governmental organizations: Western Environmental Law Center, Craighead Institute, Future West, Headwaters Economics, and the Sonoran Institute, was launched in an effort to provide an independent, transparent analysis that would help counties better understand a number of the impacts of the line.… (more…)

By Ray Rasker, Ph.D., Headwaters Economics — Economists believe protected federal lands are an important driver of economic growth. Across Montana and the West, protected federal lands such as national parks, national monuments and wilderness areas are associated with higher rates of job growth.

Headwaters Economics pproduced economic profiles of every non-metropolitan county in the West from 1970 to 2010, looking at how each of them created jobs during that time frame. We found that non-metropolitan western counties with more than 30 percent of their land base in federally protected status increased jobs by 345 percent during this time frame. By contrast, non-metro counties with no protected federal lands increased employment by 83 percent during the same period.

These results reinforce the idea that natural amenities are an important ingredient in helping communities and states attract businesses, workers and investment. While public lands are associated with travel and tourism activities—which are important in their own right—research increasingly shows that these activities are only one part of a larger amenity economy that is an important driver of economic growth in Montana and across the West.… (more…)

The economy took a serious hit with the last recession. And while it will take time to recover, New Mexico is faring much better than the rest of the United States. That’s according to a recent Headwaters Economics report. The independent research group says New Mexico is creating jobs faster and has higher per capita income than the U.S as a whole.  

Headwaters Policy Director Chris Mehl says public lands have been a significant factor in New Mexico’s economic recovery. He says it’s not just the tourism industry.… (more…)