Bill Ok’d To Let Businesses Assess Own Pollution

Revived legislation allowing businesses to assess their own environmental violations and then correct them without fear of reprisals won final approval from the Idaho Senate with little debate on Friday.

The bill, brought back from the grave only after business representatives agreed to changes demanded by Republican Gov. Phil Batt, cleared the chamber on a 27-5 vote.

Batt wants the Division of Environ mental Quality to shift from imposing fines and penalties for environmental violations, no matter how unintentional, to helping companies deal with the problems.

In keeping with that goal, the legislation was changed to allow the agency to define exactly what a socalled “environmental audit” is and lay out a specific timetable for correcting environmental problems.

The key provision allows a company discovering environmental problems in its audit to keep the information private. But another amendment says the governor has authority to make public any environmental problem if there is “imminent and substantial danger” to public health or the environment.