Continuing the theme from last week, all eyes were on the powerful budget-setting Joint Finance & Appropriations Committee (JFAC). After canceling a key meeting the prior week, Friday’s meeting was beset by delays and one of the co-chairs was a No Show. It was clear something was up… When they finally did get started, a group of moderate Republicans and all three Democrats on the committee mustered a majority, and advanced spending bills without the changes that JFAC leaders had been pushing for. That means we’ll have conflicting spending bills on the Senate and House floors, and the result is anything but predictable.
A couple pesticide-related bills also caught our attention last week, which is a topic that ICL, farmworker, and public health advocates have worked on for years. One would provide sweeping immunity to pesticide manufacturers, preventing Idahoans from seeking damages if they’re harmed. It’s a threat to farmers, farmworkers, and others impacted by pesticides. The other would make it a misdemeanor to file a false pesticide report.
Finally, last week ICL joined with our partners at Conservation Voters for Idaho to host our annual legislative reception. We were joined by members and supporters, along with city, county, state, and federal officials to share some of our priorities for the legislative session, including protecting Idaho’s public lands, waters, and wildlife. If you weren’t able to join us for the reception, be sure to tune in for a Legislative Update Webinar this Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 12:30 pm (MST).
There’s plenty more to report, so let’s get down to it!
Immunity bill prioritizes pesticide profits over people
Senator Mark Harris (R-Soda Springs) introduced a measure that would provide sweeping immunity to pesticide manufacturers, so long as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved their product for use. The bill is also cosponsored by Bayer, the German pharmaceutical company with large phosphate mines in Southeast Idaho, and is similar to bills being advanced in Iowa, Missouri, and Florida.
Studies have increasingly shown links between exposure to certain commonly used pesticides and health ailments including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, harms to brain development, and other negative effects, and many other countries ban the use of certain pesticides that are approved for use in the United States.
Settlements and guilty verdicts against Bayer alone have exceeded $15+ billion and other individual and class action lawsuits are still in the courts. The bill would eliminate the ability for Idaho farmers, farmworkers, landscapers, neighbors, or others to participate in these suits. Instead, Idaho taxpayers, insurance companies, and individuals would be responsible for covering the costs associated with these damages.
It’s already a high bar to prove health effects and damages in court, and the legislature should reject this bill. Take Action if you agree that the legislature should be prioritizing public health over pesticide profits!
Wildlife, ag, and access bills on the move
A bill from Rep. James Petzke (R-Meridian) passed the House last week on a 56-12 vote. It would exempt wildlife tracking records from the Public Records Act, preventing unscrupulous hunters from accessing the exact locations of bighorn sheep and other prized game species. Speaking of bighorns, we were saddened to learn of an outbreak of pneumonia in Hells Canyon. Past outbreaks have decimated the population and additional measures may be needed to protect this important population.
We reported on a bill earlier in the session from Sen. Scott Herndon (R-Sagle) that would require county and highway district commissioners to replace any public rights-of-way that access public lands or waters. The new bill seeks to clarify specifics of the replacement access and appears to provide some sensible changes. We continue to review the bill to ensure there are no unintended consequences.
A couple other ag-related bills were introduced, including one from Rep. Jerald Raymond (R-Menan) that would establish Rangeland Improvement Districts designed to improve their quality and health. $500,000 was initially proposed to help accomplish the work, but it doesn’t look like that funding is included for now. The second bill was introduced by the Idaho Farm Bureau and would establish Agricultural Protection Areas, designed to limit conversion of farm fields to subdivisions. It also isn’t tied directly to any funding, and it remains to be seen whether it can help control the rapid growth impacting many communities across Idaho.
Finally, as noted in the intro, Rep. Judy Boyle (R-Midvale) introduced a bill that would make it a misdemeanor to falsely report pesticide damage. We’re surprised this isn’t already a law, and we don’t have any initial concerns. What ICL and others have been concerned with is the Idaho State Department of Agriculture doesn’t have a good track record for holding pesticide applicators accountable for breaking the rules, and the agency stopped publishing a statewide Groundwater Pesticide Monitoring Report 5 years ago.
Anti-renewable bill off the table?
The Idaho Association of Counties shared a draft bill that would have provided minimum standards for siting wind and solar energy projects in Idaho, along with significant potential penalties for developers, and questionable limits on federal projects.
Wind and solar projects are increasingly cost competitive and are needed to provide clean, dependable, and affordable power as we move away from fossil fuel energy sources. Yet some of those projects, like the Lava Ridge Wind Project, have generated local opposition. It’s not just in Idaho either, as some communities are pushing back against new renewable projects across the US.
Last week, we learned that the counties’ proposal had been shelved for a year to allow more time for discussions. That makes sense.
Instead of a heavy-handed approach seeking to limit or restrict renewable development, Idaho should engage in a dialogue about how to develop these projects in a manner that protects neighbors, wildlife, and public lands, and in a way that can benefit local communities. ICL is hopeful that in the interim, counties, state decisionmakers, energy developers, and other stakeholders can come together to establish clear and consistent siting regulations to protect these Idaho values.
Tie of the week!
I usually wait until March to break out one of my favorite springtime ties. But this week the snow melted in Boise, and we broke heat records for three consecutive days to close out the month, reaching a staggering 66 degrees on Wednesday. It was the warmest January temperature ever recorded in Boise, capping off a month that also saw the 4th snowiest January. So this tie is a reminder that spring CAN come too early, and that we need to redouble our efforts to address the threat of climate change at the local, state, national, and global levels.
Until next week…Esto Perpetua,
Jonathan