(Miles City, MT) – The Miles Community College Workforce Development program is offering a CDL Basics course as well as a refresher course this spring. The Commercial Driver’s License Basics course will be offered in four different sessions while the refresher course has two sessions to choose from.
 
The CDL Basics course is designed to provide students with essential knowledge and practical skills necessary to prepare you for the MT Commercial Driver’s License written examination and skills test. This program is designed to provide tractor-trailer driving fundamentals to students who have minimal or no truck driving experience. The 4 week program includes classroom instruction, hands-on labs and behind-the-wheel driving time. At the conclusion of the course, students may use the MCC truck to complete the driver’s portion of the CDL examination. Students must show proof of a valid Montana driver’s license and will be required to be enrolled in an MCC contracted random drug and alcohol testing pool. The classes will be Monday thru Thursday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm in Room 314 and each session will run for four weeks. The sessions will begin on January 23rd, February 27th, March 26th, and April 23rd.
 
The MT Commercial Driver’s License Written Examinations may be taken anywhere in the State of Montana. The testing site will require the student to provide a DOT physical and the fee for the test (all at student’s expense), a social security card and driver’s license. A permit is required from passing the written examination prior to beginning the skills portion of the course. If student desires the use of the MCC semi, the skills test must be taken in Miles City at a time scheduled by the DMV and MCC (skills test will rarely be scheduled during this class, so participants will need to be available at a later date). Completion of the course does not guarantee participant will pass the DMV-CDL exams and it does not guarantee employment.
 
This CDL Refresher course is specifically designed to prepare you for the MT Commercial Driver’s License Class A Road Test. The class is designed for those that have recently taken and passed the MT CDL Class A Knowledge Test. The course covers the operation, preventative maintenance and basic components of the semi-truck and trailer. The course allows the student the use of MCC’s semi and trailer for supervised practice of the skill portion of the CMV test. Topics include but are not limited to: general knowledge, pre-trip inspection, proper backing procedures, on road procedures and safety practices for the professional driver. At the conclusion of the course, students may use the MCC truck to complete the driver’s portion of the CDL examination. Students must show proof of a valid Montana Class A CDL permit acquired upon successful completion of the MT CDL Class A Knowledge Test (written test), have truck driving experience and registration approval from instructor is required, and will be required to be enrolled in an MCC contracted random drug and alcohol testing pool. This class is offered by MCC’s Heavy Equipment Program instructor Jerry Forman in two different sessions, the first being March 5th – 9th and also May 21st – 25th, both from 8:00 am – 5:00 in Room 314.
 
MT Commercial Driver’s License Written Examinations may be taken anywhere in the State of Montana. A permit is required from passing the written examination prior to completing the skills test. If student desires the use of the MCC semi, the skills test must be taken in Miles City at a time scheduled by the DMV and MCC (skills test will rarely be scheduled during the week of this class, so participants will need to be available at a later date). Completion of the course does not guarantee participant will pass the DMV-CDL exams and it does not guarantee employment.
 
For more information on these courses or to register, contact Workforce Development program director Kassie Taylor at 406/874-6199 or taylork@milescc.edu.

Matt Volz, Associated Press

Helena, MT – A federal appeals court has handed a new setback to developers of a proposed $550 million railroad that would link southeastern Montana’s untapped coal reserves to Midwestern and overseas markets.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the Surface Transportation Board did not take a hard enough look at the environmental risks when it approved the 130-mile Tongue River Railroad line in 2007, including the effects of developing the vast Otter Creek coal tracts.

The Tongue River Railroad Co. has been trying to build the line since 1986 to open new areas of the Powder River Basin to coal mining. Five plaintiffs led by the Northern Plains Resource Council challenged the decision by the Surface Transportation Board to approve the line, claiming the federal board fell short in several areas of its environmental impact statement.

The three-judge panel agreed with the plaintiffs that the board’s analysis relied on old data and didn’t include enough information to determine what the effects would be on water quality and wildlife in the area, such as the endangered pallid sturgeon and the sage grouse.

The board’s study of the cumulative environmental effects of coal-bed methane development in the area was too limited, the judges also ruled.

But perhaps most significantly, the Surface Transportation Board now must consider the development of the Otter Creek Coal Mine in its study of the cumulative effects.

Arch Coal Inc. has amassed the leasing rights on 1.5 billion tons of coal in the Otter Creek tracts near Ashland, including tracts leased last year from the state and those already leased from Great Northern Properties of Houston.

Arch needs a new rail line to realize its plan to ship the coal to markets in the Midwest and overseas, and its interest in developing the coal tracts had appeared to boost momentum for the Tongue River Railroad.

One of the plaintiffs, rancher and Northern Plains Resource Council board member Mark Fix, said the appellate court’s decision means the Surface Transportation Board must conduct a new environmental impact study. That buys more time in his fight against the railroad after the Arch Coal deal with the state seemed to put the project on a fast track.

“To me, it feels like a big weight has been taken off my chest,” Fix said. “Right now, it feels good. It feels like I got a breath of fresh air.”

The proposed railroad route would cut through Fix’s ranch 20 miles southwest of Montana City. He said he is not just concerned about the railroad’s effect on his ranch’s operations, but the possible damage to the water quality and the environment around him.

Much has changed with Arch Coal’s acquisition, he said. The target market for the coal is now no longer just the Midwest, but has expanded to Asian markets like China. The Surface Transportation Board needs to account for that expansion, he said.

“A lot of things need to be looked at. If people step back and start looking at all the effects, they may realize that this is not the best thing to do right now,” Fix said.

The judicial panel rejected other claims by the plaintiffs, including charges that the board applied the wrong laws in granting permission to build the rail line and that the board improperly limited the geographic scope of its analysis.

Messages left with the Surface Transportation Board and the Tongue River Railroad Co.’s attorneys in Montana and Washington, D.C., were not returned on Friday.

Miles Community College Workforce Development program is pleased to announce the upcoming spring courses.  The schedule offers a wide range of specialties to local businesses for training opportunities.

Spring Schedule:

• Publisher 2010 For the Workplace—January 18th
• CPR for Non-Healthcare Provider & 1st Aid—Two Sessions Offered

             January 20th

             March 23rd

• CDL Basics—Four Sessions Offered

             January 23rd—February 16th

             February 27th—March 22nd

             March 26th—April 19th

             April 23rd—May 17th

• CPR Healthcare Provider Renewal Course—Two Sessions Offered

             January 27th

             March 28th

• Excel 2010:  Level 1 for the Workplace—February  8th
• CPR for the Healthcare Provider—Two Sessions Offered

             February 10th

             April 20th

• Spring Seminar:  How to Manage Conflict & Confrontation with guest speaker

             David Pollard from Fred Pryor Seminars—March 5th

• CDL Skills Refresher Course—Two Sessions Offered

             March 5th—9th

             May 21st—25th

• Certified Nurse Assistant Training—March 12th—May 4th
• Miles City Job Fair—March 15th
• Basic Access 2010 for the Workplace—March 30th
• Flagger Certification—March 31st
• Working with Groups and Team Building—Forsyth—April 11th
• Excel 2010:  Level 2 for the Workplace—April 12th
• Mobile GIS for your Smartphone and Tablets—April 16th
• Essential Skills for Beginning GIS Users—April 17th –18th
• Problem Solving with ArcGIS—April 19th—20th

Please forward this email to other areas or departments that may be interested in the training opportunities.  For more information regarding a training, please contact me at 874-6199.  Miles Community College also offers customized training for area business­es.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions or to discuss your training needs.  You may register for any of the classes by calling (406) 874-6199 or emailing taylork@milescc.edu.

SEMDC wants to thank Gill Fennern for dedicating over 14 years to SEMDC’s Revolving loan Fund Committee.

Photo: Jim Atchison Executive Director presents a plaque to Gil Fennern. Revolving Loan Fund Committee Board Member retires after 14 years.

The 8th Annual Energy Open Conference and Golf Tournament will be held on August 11 and 12, 2011 in Colstrip, the “Energy Capital of Montana.”   

Southeastern Montana Development Corporation (SEMDC) and Montanans for Responsible Energy Development (MRED) cordially invite the public to participate in this unique opportunity which “showcases the economic benefits of responsible energy development.  The conference starts Thursday August 11^th at 9:00 am in the Colstrip High School Auditorium.  Registration starts at 8:00 am.                      

The Energy Open features speakers and presentations on energy issues, lunch on CastleRockLake, and three regional energy related tours will be available as well.  The 1^st Tour will visit the Colstrip Steam Electric Station (power generation) and the Western Energy Rosebud Coal Mine (coal reclamation). The 2^nd tour will travel to Miles City for a tour of the Sanjel oil and gas operations and on to the MDU Diamond Willow Wind Farm in Baker.  The 3^rd tour will visit the Rosebud Power Plant (power generation), stop inAshland (biomass projects) and over to the Otter Creek Coal Tracts.  The day will conclude with a dinner and a scholarship raffle.

On Friday August 12^th   Ponderosa Butte Golf Course will host an 18 hole scramble golf tournament with prizes and a shot at the “Coal Cup” Corporate Trophy. This is a great opportunity to network with energy leaders, decision makers, legislators and golf one ofMontana’s most challenging public courses. 

The Energy Open is free to the public but registration is required.  For more general information, please contact SEMDC at (406) 748-2990 or email semdc@bhwi.net  or semdcstaff@bhwi.net.

By Amanda Breitbach Ragsdale, Miles City Star

Another step forward has been taken in the effort to replace an aging and inadequate sewer system in Rural Improvement District #1, which runs from Clark Street north to Valley Drive East, bound on the east by the city limits line and on the west by Kootenai and Cheyenne avenues.

Local leaders learned a few weeks ago that the project had been awarded a Treasure State Endowment Program (TSEP) grant for $750,000, which will go a long way toward paying for the new sewer system, expected to cost about $1.5 million.

Securing the grant was truly a team effort, said Mike Coryell, director of the Miles City Area Economic Development Council.

The Custer County Commissioners laid the groundwork for the project, working with the Midwest Assistance Program to conduct an income survey of residents in the area and with Dowl HKM engineers to develop a plan for the new system. Former commission chairman Gary Matthews and former commissioner Milo Huber, as well as current board chairman Jack Nesbit and Coryell went door to door, gathering income information that helped qualify the project for certain grant programs.

Grant writer Julie Korkow of the Southeastern Montana Development Corporation developed the proposal, improving on a grant request written in 1998 to help the project rate highly enough to be funded, and SEMDC staff kept political leaders apprised of its progress.

In the state Legislature, Rep. Bill McChesney was then instrumental in maintaining funding for the TSEP program, which narrowly escaped a funding cut of 50 percent.

“There was such a team involved in this, because it wasn’t a quick effort,” said Coryell, noting that the project has been a priority of the county since the 1990s.

An earlier effort to replace the sewer system failed, despite the awarding of an $850,000 grant, because of a lack of local matching funds.

Since then, residents’ sewer rates have been raised twice to create an adequate fund of local dollars.

Before he left office in January, Matthews made the project his highest priority, and Coryell said the success of this grant proposal was “a tribute” to his efforts.

Two more grant applications are pending, including a $450,000 request from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program for the remaining balance.

McChesney said his contribution to the effort called for a lot of “political juggling,” as he and other legislators sought to maintain funding for development projects.

The governor’s budget called for TSEP funds to be rolled over into the general fund, eliminating a lot of money that rural communities use to improve and build infrastructure.

“TSEP projects are so critical for city and county projects,” said McChesney. “It would have been a significant loss to eastern Montana.”

Investing in infrastructure “sends out a very positive message” to attract both new businesses and new residents, he noted.

Coryell thanked the commissioners for their support of the MCAEDC and SEMDC, noting that for an initial investment of $5,000, a grant for $750,000 was a pretty good payoff.

Korkow said the regional council fills a need for small communities that can’t support the cost of their own grant writing and coordination staff.

Current commissioners Nesbit, Keith Holmlund and Vicki Hamilton expressed satisfaction and relief that the project is moving toward completion.

“This area has been neglected for years,” said Nesbit. “We’re just really excited about this (project).”

Energy businesses and organizations across the state have signed up for Governor Schweitzer’s Energy Internship Program being conducted by his Office of Community Service. This program will provide Montana businesses relating to energy with 100 interns who will in turn receive a $2000 scholarship toward their tuition. If your business has not already considered and applied to participate in the program you may do so at http://www.energyintern.com.

We encourage all business that have signed up to the program and are awaiting an intern to RECRUIT YOUR OWN INTERN. Businesses do not need to wait for the Governor’s Office of Community Service to provide an intern. Speak with the members of your community about this opportunity. Many students are returning to their home for the summer; possibly you, a coworker, or someone in the community knows of a student that would be a perfect match to your business. If you find a student that is ready to go to work for you under Governor Schweitzer’s Energy Internship simply contact the Governor’s Office of Community Service and they will provide you and the student with all that you need to get signed up.

These students realize that Montana is on the cusp of an energy boom, and THEY WANT TO BE A PART OF IT! Help us build a bridge to an energy independent nation by getting the young professionals of tomorrow involved through Governor Schweitzer’s Energy Internship!

Join the electronic age stress free.  Overcome your fears and frustration to discover the useful and efficient side of computers. Miles Community College Center for Distance Education and Community Outreach (DECO) will offer a “Computerphobia” class to be held Monday and Wednesday evenings beginning June 13 through June 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in room 314. Patti LeCraft is the course instructor.

This class will teach the fundamental understanding of computer hardware, the operating system, word processing, the Internet, and email. A comprehensive, step-by-step book is included with the class. Age 50 and over will receive a discount for this class.

For more information and registration, please call Beth Oswald at 874-6164 or 1-800-541-9281, extension 6164, e-mail; oswaldb@milescc.edu or come to the DECO Office, Room 209, 2715 Dickinson, Miles City, MT.