Environmental Agency Files Fewer Charges Under Batt, Idaho Emphasizes Helping Firms Comply With Law

Idaho’s environmental regulators made 73 percent fewer charges against businesses for violations during the first year of the Batt administration than during Andrus’ last year.

And they made 16 percent fewer inspections of companies to check on compliance with state air, hazardous waste and water laws last year than they did in the previous year.

“Our inspectors aren’t letting companies get away with anything,” said Orville Green, assistant administrator of permits and enforcement for the state Division of Environmental Quality. “The goal is still compliance.”

Dave Pisarski, chief of the Department of Environmental Quality enforcement division, said the department’s focus is on helping companies comply.

But Idaho Conservation League state affairs director Karl Brooks says he is worried the Batt administration may be sending the message it’s not as important to comply with environmental laws.

Batt’s press secretary, Amy Kleiner, dismisses the Conservation League’s concerns. She says private industry has reacted positively to the new emphasis on compliance at the department.

The number of notices of violations declined from 30 in 1994 to eight last year. Notices of environmental law violations ranged between 20 and 23 a year between 1991 and 1993. The number of hazardous waste violations dropped from 15 in 1994 to three last year and notices about air quality violations fell from 12 in 1994 to four last year.

The number of water quality violations dropped from three to one between 1994 and 1995 and the number of inspections dropped from 11 to eight.

Michael Gregory, a department environmental enforcement manager, said state regulators are helping companies comply with hazardous waste laws and sending out warning letters.

The number of inspections for compliance with hazardous waste laws also dropped, from 72 in 1994 to 53 last year.

Gregory said the number of inspections fluctuates, and the state is trying to focus inspections on problem areas.

The number of inspections for compliance with air quality laws dropped from 181 in 1994 to 157 last year.

Doug Cole, chief of the air toxics section for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Idaho office, said the agency hasn’t expressed concerns with the direction of Idaho’s air enforcement program.

The Batt administration’s increased emphasis on assisting companies comply with environmental laws instead of relying on enforcement programs is in step with other states in recent years, Cole says.