Report touts nature over energy

he Rocky Mountains' natural amenities are more important to the regional economy than the booming oil and gas industry, according to a new report compiled by an environmental group and supported by some regional economists. The report released by The Wilderness Society Thursday says the oil and gas industry accounts for less than 2 percent of the region's total personal income. Parts of the economy dependent on the quality of natural surroundings -- recreation, tourism, influx of retirees -- have become more important, it says. "The Marlboro cowboy economy is a consistent myth," Walter Hecox, an economics professor at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, said in a teleconference. Income from investments and retirees makes up nearly a quarter of the region's economy, according to the report "Natural Dividends: Wildland Protection and the Changing Economy of the Rocky Mountain West." Recreation and tourism generate hundreds of millions of dollars, it says. The report covered Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming....Go here to view the report.