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…Vicky Steiner, executive director of the organization, said if western communities don’t get their share of oil tax revenue, residents will be forced to pay higher taxes to support the growth.

“We don’t want to see the burden rise on the taxpayers in the west,” said Steiner, who also is a Republican legislator from Dickinson.

An analysis by Headwaters Economics showed that North Dakota stands out among its peers for providing the least direct funding for oil-impacted communities. North Dakota governments received directly 8 percent of the total state revenue from oil and natural gas in fiscal year 2011, and about 11 percent for 2012-13, the report said… (more…)

…The Mountain West boasts nearly unlimited renewable energy resources and these nonhydro projects, either under construction or in advanced development, represent 71,872 jobs. A study by Headwaters Economics found that from 1970–2010, nonmetropolitan counties in the West that had more than 30 percent protected federal lands increased jobs by 345 percent. Nonmetropolitan counties with no protected federal lands saw just 83 percent growth.… (more…)

…An analysis by Headwaters Economics showed that North Dakota stands out among its peers for providing the least direct funding for oil-impacted communities. North Dakota governments received directly 8 percent of the total state revenue from oil and natural gas in fiscal year 2011, and about 11 percent for 2012-13, the report said.… (more…)

Guest column by Chris Mehl, Headwaters Economics— …Headwaters Economics recently completed a study of the Rocky Mountain Front region — Cascade, Lewis and Clark, and Teton counties — reviewing the area’s performance, how its economy is changing, and the potential impact of proposals such as the Heritage Act which would protect public land and traditional uses along the Front.

We found the Front’s economy well-positioned for future economic performance. The region has experienced stable long-term growth during recent decades, especially compared to many other parts of Montana, the area has avoided major employment swings associated with national recessions, and today has below average unemployment…

The spectacular public lands of the Rocky Mountain Front give the region a natural competitive advantage that aids the local economy, but that’s not the whole picture. For the longer term, the Front region has assets other communities the West lack; such as transportation hubs, relatively strong per capita income, high quality of life, affordability and overall stability. How the Front region combines these advantages will play a large role in determining the area’s future economic growth and prosperity. (more…)

…Created in 2005, the developers of Headwaters Economics were frustrated by the lack of reliable information on vital Western land use topics, particularly growth and development, and the changing economic role of our public lands.

As an independent research organization, their mission is to improve community development and land management decisions in the West. Most recently, they have conducted research delving into the potential for futuredevelopment on fire prone lands and the implications this growth will have on future firefighting costs.

With 20 combined years of experience, the staff of six and board of five, blend research and field experience working with communities, businesses, landowners, public land managers and elected officials.… (more…)

…Sportsmen know some of the best hunting can be found in rugged and unroaded areas. Places like the West Big Hole, the Sapphires and the Pioneers are rife with lore about some old bull that’s still out there. We rely on these places not only to fill our freezers each fall, but also as the fabric for our way of life here in Montana.

And these secure areas are economically important too. A recent analysis by Headwaters economics showed that hunter expenditures in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge forest alone increased by $5 million between 2006 and 2011. You can’t separate high-quality habitat from hunting opportunity or hunting opportunity from our economy: they’re all intertwined… (more…)

…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.”…

(more…)

…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…)