Oil independence: Activist hopes Missoula can break free from petroleum’s yoke

Sometimes, you have to think big.

A political activist and Missoula newcomer has drawn up a proposal to wean 12 communities, including the Garden City, off oil.

That is no small undertaking. It requires a lot of money, and already, it has critics saying the idea is wholly unrealistic.

Peggy Miller is moving forward anyway. Earlier this year, she brought the proposal to the Missoula City Council. Last week, she took it to Albuquerque, N.M. She even sent a copy to former vice president Al Gore.

Miller, whose resume shows a career focused on energy and the environment, knows the proposal is ambitious – even daunting.

Missoulian