Tribe plans to burn grass fields

The Coeur d’Alene Tribe plans to burn bluegrass fields on the reservation this summer, even though burning remains illegal on nontribal lands in Idaho.

The tribal council voted Wednesday to continue agricultural burning one more year while it continues to seek economical alternatives to burning. In 1996, the tribe vowed to phase out field burning on the reservation within 10 years.

“This is a difficult situation in which the tribe has to balance the economic necessities of our population with public health concerns,” Tribal Chairman Chief Allan said in a press release. “We will continue to find that balance and improve our smoke management program to protect those people most vulnerable to the smoke produced from field burning.”

Patti Gora of the clean-air coalition Safe Air For Everyone said she is disheartened by the decision – one she believes will continue to harm the health of neighbors.

“They did make a public statement that by this time burning would be phased out,” Gora said. “It’s unfortunate they chose not to do that.”

Grass seed farmers burn their fields each summer to prompt a new crop without replanting.

People with respiratory problems have complained about the health effects of the smoke, and the issue has resulted in multiple lawsuits.

Tribal spokesman Quanah Spencer didn’t return phone calls on deadline, and the press release didn’t indicate how many acres might be burned this year.

Gora said new federal air rules exempt the Coeur d’Alene Tribe from reporting how many acres are burned. “The public has no ability to know what they are being exposed to,” she said.

Linda Clovis, spokeswoman for Farmers of North Idaho, called the tribe’s decision “wonderful.”

“Quite honestly we hope that it’s for more than one year,” Clovis said. “They (the tribe) understand the plight of the farmers and quite honestly are willing to work with them.”

Clovis said negotiations with the state are scheduled to begin next week to find a compromise that might allow farmers off the reservation to burn this year.

Gora said she hadn’t yet learned about the negotiations and didn’t have a comment.

In May, a federal appeals court ruled that field burning is illegal in Idaho under federal law, clarifying and strengthening a ruling the same court issued in January. That threw into doubt the upcoming agricultural burning season in North Idaho.

The ruling didn’t apply to the Coeur d’Alene Reservation.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality at the time said it would research what it would take to develop a new implementation plan for field burning that would comply with the Clean Air Act.