Deq Given Status As State Department

A plan to elevate the Division of Environmental Quality to department status was signed into law Friday by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne.

The legislation was one of the governor’s priorities, and was unanimously approved by both houses after three years of fine-tuning erased all serious opposition.

“This sends the clearest of signals to our citizens, other states and the federal government that Idaho puts our environment as a priority and does so in a way that will be effective and balanced,” Kempthorne said.

The point of the structural change is to more directly focus the spotlight on environmental issues that have become increasingly contentious and, in some cases, disruptive over the past decade.

The measure carries out former Gov. Phil Batt’s plan to officially separate the division from the Department of Health and Welfare, but its actual effect will be negligible, because the division has been operating as an essentially independent agency for a number of years.

The new Department of Environmental Quality will be governed by a seven-member board knowledgeable in air quality, water quality and solid waste issues. The governor will appoint the members.

The board will have no control over water rights, which will remain the responsibility of the Department of Water Resources.