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The growth industries: power and firepower?
Submitted by Kevin Richert on Mon, 09/08/2008 - 10:51am.
Power and firepower could be among the state's next two growth industries, according to the state's economic development guru.
The Idaho Department of Commerce has targeted several "promising" sectors in the job market, director Don Dietrich says, and energy companies and firearms manufacturers are on the list.
A renewable power corridor is developing in Eastern Idaho, Dietrich said, including Areva, the French company building a uranium enrichment plant outside Idaho Falls. Commerce has some "nibbles" in the nuclear sector, Dietrich says, and has some solar and other alternative energy companies in the pipeline.
The department also is talking to several companies that manufacture firearms components, Dietrich said. The companies like Idaho partly because of its politics: They like Idahoans' strong support of gun ownership, and feel more welcome here. Firearms manufacturers are also a good fit in small-town Idaho because they are smaller companies that don't overwhelm the local infrastructure and labor market, Dietrich said.
Thoughts? A good business model for Idaho? To read more, click here for our Sunday editorial on Gov. Butch Otter's "Project 60" economic development initiative.
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Firearms manufacturers? Will they have an outlet store?
That would be really coooool.
since when did Nuclear power become a renewable power?
the only thing renewable about nuclear waste is that it can be used make weapons.
Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran...that's a lotta bombs...
Where do you think that material is going to come from?
John McCain just loves renewable nuclear energy!
Guns? What a great idea!
Going after a "growth" industry like firearms will do wonders for reinforcing Idaho's reputation as a red-neck, racist, rape and pillage state where our elected officials are in tune with blasting holes in signs and slaughtering animals and people.
Surely this "growth industry" falls right in with tomorrow's announcement that Dubya plans to withdraw about 8,000 U.S. troops from Iraq over the next several months.
This razor sharp thinking is also right up there with the most recent statistics from U.S. Fish and Wildlife which show that nationally, even while hunting expenditures increased, the number of hunters in America decreased by around 4 percent between 2001 and 2006. In Idaho alone the report says the number of out-of-state hunters decreased from 197,000 in 2001 to 65,000 in 2006.
Now there's a growth industry!
Classic GOP logic for all to see! We don't really want to be about progress, clean air, a well-educated workforce or cutting edge technologies, right boys? We want the kind of industry that depends on war and death for its success!
Better packaged foods at Jackson's would do.
You try too hard.
Yeah well
It's not easy keeping up with you FO....
I hardly post anymore!
That makes your statement sadly ironic.
I would love to see a winchester plant here!
Maybe we could convince their new masters to relocate the Winchester Repeating Arms factory to our God fearing, right thinking, ethical state such as ours. Ignore the haters and crybabies and enjoy the many blessings that God has given us. Tasty Elk comes to mind!