Governor touts state's booming 'restoration economy'

October 4, 2007

Here's the lead of a Missoulian article on the issue and the conference:

It's not an economy that anyone has quite figured out how to measure, but the business of cleaning up environmental messes is booming.

“It's in its infancy, but when we can quantify it, people are going to recognize it for the economic force it is,” Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Wednesday during a meeting with the Missoulian's editorial board.

Schweitzer was in town to speak at a conference focusing on the West's so-called “restoration economy,” organized by Western Progress, a progressive think tank with offices in Phoenix, Denver and Missoula.

“What's driving this economy,” the governor said, “is quality of life. And that's going to drive it for a long time.”