By now, many may already be aware of the current “crisis” with the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) “curtailing” the use of ground water to farmers with “junior rights” in eastern Idaho. IDWR based the curtailment on farmers for either failing to submit a mitigation plan, or submitting an unacceptable water mitigation plan, by […]
[BOISE] – Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, along with attorneys general from North Dakota, Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, South Carolina, and South Dakota, sued the EPA and the Biden Administration to protect state rights over their water and wildlife resources. Idaho and North Dakota are leading the coalition of states, which filed their complaint in the […]
Congressman Fulcher Comments on President Biden Signaling the Revival of WOTUS Regulations WASHINGTON, D.C.– Congressman Russ Fulcher is pushing back on the EPA’s recent announcement that it will look into restoring rules and definitions for the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) regulations implemented by the Obama Administration. In 2015, this rule established broad definitions […]
The Lemhi river is 60 miles long, as a tributary flows northwest to the Salmon river, feeding into the Snake river, and ultimately flows into the Columbia river. Below is a map of Lemhi River Basin tributaries that are priority areas for conservation. Multiple ranches are dependent on this water for livestock grazing and agriculture. […]
Control Over Idaho Water – Part 1 Much interest in the Lemhi River and its tributaries has been around for some time. According to the Idaho Water Resource Board (IWRB), the “Lemhi River is one of the cornerstones of Idaho’s Salmon Recovery Effort.” In 2004, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) conducted a study, Instream Flow […]
— Published with Permission of WesternWire.net — The Trump administration moved to revise the definition of “waters of the United States” or WOTUS rule under the Clean Water Act that Western elected officials hailed as fairer for farmers, ranchers and landowners. The announcement came Tuesday as Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler released details the agency […]
(The above video was recorded at a public Meeting in Ronan, Montana, where the People’s approach to the Reserved Water Rights Compact was introduced!) The People of Montana need to get the word out on some exciting news. A completely new practical approach to a People’s Compact has been developed through the concerted efforts of […]
— Published with Permission of HeraldandNews.com — Department of Interior official Alan Mikkelsen — who spent the week in Klamath Falls and Medford — said he will return to the Basin next month to continue water talks, but that he has no plans to reach out to the Klamath Tribes based on their last interaction. […]
— Published with Permission of HeraldandNews.com — Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) yesterday filed its objections to the Klamath Tribes’ request for a court order that would immediately shut off Klamath Project irrigation water in order to maintain higher Upper Klamath Lake elevations for endangered suckers. The 49-page brief filed by KWUA with co-intervenors Sunnyside […]
Nampa citizens recently passed a bond that will pay for upgrades to its wastewater system. The bond authorizes funding up to $165 million dollars with an average sewer rate increase of 16.75% each year over the next 7 years, with “… totals of $279.2M in capital investments between 2018 and 2040.”, a fact that was […]
Avista utility is in the process of seeking approval of its sale to a Canadian government-owned company, Hydro One. This purchase or merger is fraught with potential problems which could and will cost ratepayers throughout the Pacific Northwest astronomical sums of money from drastic 4x-5x or more increases in utility bills. • Why does a company […]
Here is an enormous threat to the farm and cattle community coming to Western States. I recently identified ten major legal flaws of a proposed Tribal Water Compact, and identified them as the principle beliefs of Montana Senator Jon Tester. I would also include that these beliefs are supported by Montana Governor Steven Bullock, Attorney […]