The hurry-up-and-wait that often characterizes the final days of the legislative session has begun, with the House at ease for an indeterminate time, estimated by Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, at about half an hour. He told members to stay close. The House today amended HB 301, Rep. Judy Boyle’s complicated oil and gas regulation bill, and the bill is now being engrossed so it can be considered in the full House as amended.

Assuming it passes, that would clear the way for a Senate committee hearing on it first thing tomorrow.

Gov. Butch Otter and House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, issued a guest opinion in favor of the bill on Monday; you can read it here. They say the measure “would provide Idaho, as a relatively new producer of oil and gas, with the protections and expertise it needs to safely and responsibly nurture and regulate this emerging industry.”