On the eve of the Great Recession, Idaho was spending $18.2 million on its environmental watchdog agency. Three years later, the Department of Environmental Quality is getting by on almost $4.4 million less. You can't blame that on an anti-environmental and anti-regulatory agenda on the part of Idaho's Republican majority. DEQ's 24 percent budget loss is in line with other state programs - higher education, 22 percent; agricultural research, 28 percent; Idaho State Police, 30 percent; public schools, 7.5 percent. Nor does Idaho stand out. As John Miller of The Associated Press reported, state after state is balancing its budget in part by scaling back on environmental protection. Among 24 states surveyed by the Environmental Council of the States, the average agency saw its budget sliced $12 million, or 11.5 percent/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: How important to you is environmental protection?