Mark Lambrecht, regulatory affairs manager for PPL Montana, was one of 18 people chosen for Montana's new Climate Change Advisory Council.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer requested in January that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality establish the council.

The Climate Change Advisory Council has the task of recommending ways to reduce or sequester greenhouse-gas emissions, promote energy-efficient technologies and promote energy that is clean and renewable. The council members come from a variety of fields, including energy, environmental activism, government and education.

The DEQ expects the panel to complete its work by July 2007. The council will be assisted by the nonprofit Center for Climate Strategies, which will help with meetings and provide technical aid.

Other members of the council include Tim Gregori of Billings, general manager of the Southern Montana Electricity Generation & Transmission Co-op; Shane Morgensen of Billings, a geophysicist for Nance Petroleum Corp.; organic farmer Robert Boettcher of Big Sandy; rancher Trudi Peterson of Judith Gap; Mary Fitzpatrick of Billings, a member of Montana Conservation Voters; Pat Judge of Helena, a staff member for the Montana Environmental Information Center; Dave Ryan of the National Center for Appropriate Technology in Butte; Gloria Flora of Helena, former supervisor of the Lewis and Clark National Forest; and Steve Loken of Missoula, with the Center for Resourceful Building Technology.

Also on the council are Cascade County Commissioner Peggy Beltrone of Great Falls; Rep. Sue Dickenson, D-Great Falls; Sen. Gary Perry, R-Manhattan; Public Service Commissioner Bob Raney of Livingston; Teamsters official Mark Brandt of Great Falls; middle school science teacher Buck Buchanan of Belgrade; Northern Cheyenne tribal planner William Walks Along of Lame Deer; and Charles McGraw of Helena, a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council.