Montana: An Energy and Economic Analysis

Montana is the third least-densely populated state with fewer than 10 residents per square mile in much of the state's eastern third. At over 93 million acres, it is about 138 times as large as Rhode Island, the nation’s smallest state. The state supplies fossil fuels and renewable energy to the nation. Montana contains more than one-fourth of the nation's estimated recoverable coal reserves. Its eastern basins contain large deposits of crude oil and natural gas. The Missouri basin contains hydroelectric energy resources and the state's vast plains contain some of the best wind resources in the United States.