Gov. Butch Otter has signed into law HB 586, the measure on vehicle emission testing to avoid federal sanctions in areas of the state with high levels of air pollution. “Clean air is among Idaho’s most precious resources,” Otter wrote in a signing message. “We are blessed with skies as open and clear as any in the world. Unfortunately, there are a few relatively heavily populated areas of our state where congestion and the pollution that comes with it threaten to put us under the federal regulatory thumb. Within those areas, we face the very real prospect of losing control of our own destiny – unless we act first and decisively.” However, he dubbed the bill “a less-than-perfect solution” and said sponsors have agreed to work with him on other measures to propose in next year’s legislative session.

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