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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

JFAC unanimously approves big boost to Ag budget to fund anti-quagga mussel boat inspections

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning voted unanimously, 20-0, for a budget for the state Department of Agriculture for next year that reflects a 40.2 percent increase in state general funds, largely because of a big boost to boat inspection stations aimed to preventing invasive quagga and zebra mussels from entering Idaho. In total funds, the budget shows an 11.2 percent increase.

“The level of funding from the general fund for this effort is historic in nature,” said Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, JFAC co-chair. The joint committee’s action “reflects a sense of urgency,” Keough said. “We have seriously elevated our response to the threat and are taking action to try to protect Idaho’s precious waterways.” You can read my full story here at spokesman.com.

Lawmakers approved a $3.14 million increase in the program, all in state general funds – plus reopened the Idaho State Police budget to add $171,300 in funding for another patrol position.

The Ag budget covers taking one existing boat inspection station, at Cotterell near Albion on I-84, to 24/7 operations next year; the additional ISP officer would be assigned there. All other watercraft inspection stations statewide would be open from dawn to dusk, plus the department would be encouraged to make use of “roving” stations, including for holiday periods when more boats are moving on the roads. And three new stations approved in the current year’s budget would continue.

The budget also covers five hours a day of law enforcement patrols for the rest of the stations, to cover the new expanded hours. In total, four new positions are being added at the Department of Agriculture for the inspection program, in addition to the one at ISP.

Rep. Van Burtenshaw, R-Terreton, proposed the budget, and Sen. Steve Bair, R-Blackfoot, seconded the motion. There were no questions or comments.

Earlier, when JFAC gathered for a brief early-morning workshop on its motions, Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, asked why the department didn’t use volunteer retired law enforcement officers, saying there are lots of those in her area of the state. JFAC Co-Chair Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, said the officers assigned to patrol at watercraft inspection stations have to do things like chase down scofflaws who bypass stations with boats, and it’s a duty that couldn’t necessarily be delegated to a volunteer. Rep. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, said, “I fully support the watercraft inspections, and we need to keep these out.” But she also asked how much in total is now being spent for the program.

Budget analyst Ray Houston reported that the existing base budget for the watercraft inspection program is $1.4 million, all from dedicated funds; those come largely from invasive species sticker fees that all Idaho boaters are required to pay each year.

Legislation currently is pending to raise the fee for out-of-state motorboats from $22 to $30 a year; that’s expected to bring in an additional $70,000 to $80,000 a year for the program.

The state also is expecting a $1 million federal allocation, approved in 2015, to help with efforts to prevent quagga or zebra mussels from taking hold in Idaho, but the federal grant program still isn’t set up and the money hasn’t arrived.

The fast-spreading invasive mussels can quickly clog up and destroy water intakes, pipes, irrigation equipment and more; they encrust beaches, drive out competing species and destroy landscapes. The Northwest is the last region of the country still free of the mussels.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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