The Senate has voted unanimously in favor of SCR 116, Sen. Jim Hammond's resolution to launch an interim study committee to look at how Idaho can take over primacy on NPDES wastewater permits from the EPA. "This is not an effort to diminish the criteria that we use to issue those permits," Hammond, R-Coeur d'Alene, told the Senate. "It is only an attempt actually to study the idea of bringing those permits in under our own DEQ as opposed to the EPA." Hammond noted that the issue's been studied in the past, and the main drawback "has always been financing." This committee would look into making the change with no impact to the state general fund, he said, instead drawing on fees from permit applicants.

For the study to happen, the House also would have to pass a similar resolution, and then the topic would have to be among those selected by leadership from both houses for assigning lawmakers to an interim committee.

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