Meyer Bullish On Field Burning

Rep. Wayne Meyer made a strong pitch for grass field burning to the House Environmental Affairs Committee on Thursday. Reading from the annual Intermountain Grass Growers Association report, Meyer, a Rathdrum Republican, said the smoke management program conducted in North Idaho successfully minimized adverse air quality.

Not all North Idaho residents would agree with Meyer’s assessment.

Grass growers came under fire last summer from clean air activists. The Sandpoint-based Clean Air Coalition hired a meteorologist to track field smoke and offered to help residents sue farmers.

Meyer told the committee that field burning is crucial to seed farmers like himself, and said other ways of clearing stubble are not cost-effective.

Committee members were receptive to Meyer’s presentation, and said that just because Washington has moved to restrict field burning doesn’t mean that Idaho should.

Washington regulators have adopted a plan to phase out field burning by 1998.

Meyer said that he believed that Washington’s move would boost seed prices, benefitting Idaho farmers.