Marc Brinkmeyer: Idaho still needs Crapo’s pro-business, pro-conservation solution

By Marc Brinkmeyer

In 2008, the U.S. Senate passed a visionary piece of legislation by our own Senator Mike Crapo that would have strengthened Idaho’s economy and revolutionized wildlife recovery. The bill was called the Endangered Species Recovery Act and it created a federal tax credit for private landowners who voluntarily conserve and restore habitat to accelerate the recovery of species listed under Endangered Species Act. Building upon Idaho’s bedrock principles of private property rights and economic liberty, this ingenious bill proposed the ultimate win-win: Idaho companies would receive tax incentives and regulatory certainty in return for their proactive conservation efforts, while Idaho’s at-risk wildlife would be placed on the path to recovery. Unfortunately, the bill died in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Senator Crapo crafted the ESRA because he acutely understood a fundamental flaw in our current approach: While the ESA excels at preventing extinction, it provides insufficient tools for actual species recovery. This deficiency is starkly evident in the fact that only 3% of listed species have been delisted. Without adequate incentives, recovery efforts often default to a regulatory approach, which often impose immense burdens and economic hardship on Idaho’s vital industries. This adversarial dynamic alienates the very people best positioned to help: our farmers, ranchers and timber companies, whose private lands are crucial habitats for over 80% of listed species.

Idaho has suffered the tangible consequences of this regulatory-heavy approach. The 2022 listing of the whitebark pine as threatened under the ESA added burdensome regulatory hurdles to forest management, directly exacerbating wildfire risk in our timber-rich regions. Similarly, the 2014 listing of the yellow-billed cuckoo and its proposed critical habitat along the Snake River has significantly impacted Idaho’s agriculture, which relies heavily on irrigation, and our burgeoning tourism industry, a $350 million annual driver supporting 5,000 jobs in Fremont County. Even the listing of Snake River snails directly affects Idaho Power’s operations, impacting 80% of Idahoans who depend on their service, and forcing water reallocation from agriculture for flow augmentation.

These are not abstract issues. They directly impact the bottom line of Idaho families. One Custer County ranch family faced near bankruptcy due to a lawsuit over bull trout, resulting in a loss of 150 tons of hay production annually and incurring $36,000 in legal fees. Such examples demonstrate a consistent pattern: ESA listings, when not combined with proper recovery incentives, stifle economic activity, suppress innovation and divert capital that could otherwise create jobs and expand businesses.

The solution lies in a truly American, market-based approach. Crapo’s wildlife habitat recovery tax credit would transform species recovery from a system of conflict into a collaborative partnership. It would incentivize eligible taxpayers to voluntarily protect and restore habitats, offering a “habitat conservation credit” for long-term agreements and a “habitat restoration credit” for implementing certified management plans. This is the ultimate alignment of economic incentives with conservation goals.

Imagine how much stronger Idaho’s economy would be today had Crapo’s bill passed. For species like bull trout, northern and southern Idaho ground squirrels, whitebark pine and slickspot peppergrass, landowners could have entered voluntary agreements to conserve and restore habitat, receiving credit for their efforts and shielding themselves from regulatory uncertainty.

This would have encouraged range-wide restoration, providing certainty that proactive stewardship wouldn’t lead to more regulation. Recovery would have been faster, less costly, and less contentious.

Similarly, agricultural producers facing irrigation restrictions for the yellow-billed cuckoo could have been incentivized to make habitat improvements, transforming a regulatory cost into an economic asset. Idaho Power might have found more collaborative, incentivized solutions for salmon, steelhead and Snake River snail protection that minimized operational disruptions, ensuring reliable power for Idahoans.

Crapo’s common-sense, pro-business, and pro-conservation tax credit is an idea whose time has come. We can unleash Idaho’s – and America’s – economic potential by empowering private landowners as true collaborative conservation partners, while significantly reducing regulatory uncertainty. This groundbreaking approach will strengthen local economies and accelerate wildlife recovery, while minimizing the need for intrusive federal mandates. The time for decisive action is now.

We urge Senate Republicans to support this legacy item for Sen. Crapo and include it in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. Together, we can secure a future where our economy thrives, our communities prosper and our wildlife heritage flourishes for generations.

Marc Brinkmeyer is the owner and chairman of the board of the Idaho Forest Group, one of America’s largest lumber producers, board member of the National Wild Turkey Federation and a regular member of the Boone and Crockett Club. He lives in Sandpoint.