Montana Governor and President Trump Talk American-Made Energy

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Governor Greg Gianforte met with President Donald Trump on Tuesday and discussed a range of topics surrounding Montana’s energy portfolio.

The Governor was on Talk Back to announce an upcoming Executive Order from the President.

Governor Gianforte on Talk Back Discussing a Meeting with the President

“I'm calling you from Washington, DC, back here at the invitation of the President,” began Gianforte. “I'll be at the White House later today for a major announcement of executive orders on a number of other things to unleash American energy. This is one of the things that President Trump promised when he ran for office, was to bring down the cost of energy by really embracing American made energy for national security as well as our economy.”

Gianforte said Montana’s vast coal reserves could play a pivotal role in supplying America’s energy needs in the future.

Gianforte said Montana's Coal Reserves will Help Produce More Energy

“I'm excited to stand side by side with the President this afternoon,” he said. “It's going to be good for Montana. It has a particular focus on coal, and I'm an ‘all of the above’ energy guy. What's unfortunate is, under the last administration, is that President Biden was picking winners and losers, and as a consequence, energy costs went up about 30 percent. President Trump has said, ‘No, we're going to pursue all options’, and I'm proud to be at the White House this afternoon to stand side by side with the President to unleash American energy for our economy and for national defense.”

Gianforte explained that Montana has a great deal to offer when it comes to all kinds of energy production.

Gianforte Encouraged an All-of-the Above' Energy Policy Including Coal

“About 60 percent of our energy generation in Montana is renewables, such as hydro, wind, solar, and we need to continue to expand that, but the demand for energy is nearly unquenchable, and we need to be pursuing ‘all of the above’ that includes natural gas, coal, the potential of small modular (nuclear) reactors, wind, solar, and hydro. We need to be looking at all of this just to satisfy the demands that are in the marketplace.”

Gianforte said his White House visit will also be good for businesses looking to relocate to Montana.

“We have a number of businesses that are looking at relocating to Montana, but energy is the constraining factor, so we need to be pursuing increased production, and that's what we're going to be talking about this afternoon at the White House.”

The hope is that the President’s actions will help Montana produce more coal to help meet the nation’s demands for energy.

Listen to the Governor's comments on Talk Back here.