What a hectic week. Friday was the last day to get bills submitted to afternoon committees. Combine that with the County Winter Conference which featured a speech from Speaker Newt Gingrich, a trip home to vote in the caucus, a presentation to the credit union association, a luncheon with the FFA students and a phone that was drowned by a leaky water bottle and now I’m hoping the roads are open to Ketchum to make it home this weekend.
I’ve had some ups and downs with legislation:
The counties approved, in concept, large generation facility siting legislation. The legislation applies only to merchant plants and creates the opportunity for informed decision making at the local level. This next week I’ll be presenting the concept/draft to the cooperative and municipal utilities that are exempt as are the investor owned utilities.
An attempt at introducing a bill to require renewal portfolio standards at 25% by 2025 will not get a hearing this year.
Affordable workforce home legislation has been dropped off with the House Revenue and Taxation Committee for introduction in the near future. The bills include adding affordable workforce housing as an eligible use for development impact fees, requiring developers to ensure the development of workforce housing or pay a fee in lieu of development, a voter approved proposed tax levy to home owners whose home is valued at $1 million plus and who don’t qualify for the homeowners exemption, and an expansion of county local option sales tax to include affordable workforce housing.
The residential sales price disclosure legislation that was drafted and introduced last year was re-introduced this week in the senate. The hearing should be within a week. A second piece of legislation brought by the Idaho Association of Realtors also addresses this situation in a different way. I would appreciate your comments on both of these. You can find them at www.legislature.idaho.gov, under the Legislation link. The bill numbers are SB1400 and SB1401.
Senator Langhorst re-introduced last year’s legislation to abolish the one mile restriction on who may testify in confined animal feeding operations public hearings. The goal is to get the bill through the House this year. I also have drafted a bill that would provide for mediation between cities and/or counties who have concerns about decisions that cross boundaries.
The grocery tax credit was defeated in committee this week. We’re hoping that a bipartisan solution to decreasing the sales tax on food at the cash register will come forth. Legislators are also working on a new credit bill.
A bill to allow highway districts to increase their levies with a vote of the people is before the House Revenue and Taxation committee. Revenues were frozen many years ago at an artificially low rate and districts are having a hard time keeping up with inflationary costs. The Emergency Communications Commission has asked for a 25 cent increase per month on phones to a maximum of $1.25 to provide grant funding for rural communities who don’t have the population to support the Enhanced 911 systems as well as the ongoing maintenance costs of those systems.
Also introduced for hearing is the Ranch, Farm and Forest Protection Act which would give a tax credit to owners of agricultural and forest land who voluntarily agree not to develop lands important to fish and wildlife. I am supporting all of these bills.
The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC) are scheduled to finish up state agency budget hearings on Wednesday, February 13. Budget setting will start on Monday, February 18 and should finish around March 7. Revenues have begun to slide due to the national recession (most now say we are in a recession!) and we’re anticipating some tough decision making.
Thank you for keeping in touch with me. Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
Email: wjaquet@house.idaho.gov or Phone: 1/800/626-0471
Showing posts with label Coal Plants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coal Plants. Show all posts
Friday, February 08, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Nuclear siting initiative will protect Idaho's way of life
Published in Times-News on Tuesday, January 29, 2008
By Diana Obenauer
I was born and raised in Jerome, Idaho, a wonderful, neighborly and special place to live. My roots go deep in my love for our wonderful Magic Valley.Military service and nursing education taught me how to preserve our fighting strength and care for all people in need. I am proud to have served in the Gulf War, and I am proud to serve Jerome County as a county commissioner.
It is important to learn from the past, as we prepare for Idaho's future.When I returned to Jerome from military service, I found changes I had not expected. I do not oppose growth, but it is important to live within our limits. Few people wanted to look at any limits, or at growth that was diversified. Idaho's water has to be used for our agricultural base and our people. It defines our limits.
I discovered neighbors had sold property to Sempra coal company and county permits were already approved. These plants spew mercury, affecting our children and our water. At first, we seemed defenseless, however, miraculously widespread citizen action from all over Magic Valley including the Idaho Dairy Association achieved a legislative moratorium on coal plants, overruling the ill-conceived local decision of county commissioners.
No nuclear power plant is totally "safe." The Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission admit continual threats from disgruntled employees, lax security, and terrorist threats from both physical and computer intruders are today's reality.
Mike Sparks, director of the DOE Office of Technology, admits, "The adversary has full use of the technology in advance to being made. And if we stand still and don't take the initiative to stay a step ahead on the technology, I think we're setting ourselves up for a disaster sometime down in the future."
I believe in "local control." These plants make all Idahoans "local." I am concerned about how decisions to allow nuclear power plants in Idaho will be made and so should every citizen in Idaho.The 2007 Idaho Energy Plan invites merchant nuclear power plants to use Idaho.
Will Payette and Owyhee county commissioners succumb to local pressure, special interest or intimidation to allow these plants in their county? Who stands to profit from them?
Do those who profit live in close proximity to them? If they are built, will Idahoans have to outbid California costs for any electricity generated from our soil and water?
I believe in being proactive instead of reactive and have joined with Dr. Peter Rickards and the good citizens of Idaho all across our state who have started an initiative to help protect Idaho and its citizens. This proactive group, Idaho Families For The Safest Energy (IFFSE) simply endorses the adoption of laws other states use to protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens. IFFSE also endorses the development and support of a wide diversity of safer, more cost effective, sustainable energy development.
Why should Idaho get stuck with these risks? The IFFSE initiative bans nuclear power until a final waste dump is approved and open. Idaho still houses the melted core of Three Mile Island. Why should our state become a bigger repository for more radioactive waste? If that is ever resolved, county commissioners still make the decision.
However, before the final permit is granted, statewide voter approval is required.This provides a fail-safe opportunity for all citizens within Idaho to have a voice in decisions that ultimately affect all of us. All citizens have the constitutional right to protect their family's life, liberty, health and personal property. This Initiative does just that, and we recommend the Legislature enact this safeguard into law this session.
Diana Obenauer, a Republican, is a Jerome County commissioner.
By Diana Obenauer
I was born and raised in Jerome, Idaho, a wonderful, neighborly and special place to live. My roots go deep in my love for our wonderful Magic Valley.Military service and nursing education taught me how to preserve our fighting strength and care for all people in need. I am proud to have served in the Gulf War, and I am proud to serve Jerome County as a county commissioner.
It is important to learn from the past, as we prepare for Idaho's future.When I returned to Jerome from military service, I found changes I had not expected. I do not oppose growth, but it is important to live within our limits. Few people wanted to look at any limits, or at growth that was diversified. Idaho's water has to be used for our agricultural base and our people. It defines our limits.
I discovered neighbors had sold property to Sempra coal company and county permits were already approved. These plants spew mercury, affecting our children and our water. At first, we seemed defenseless, however, miraculously widespread citizen action from all over Magic Valley including the Idaho Dairy Association achieved a legislative moratorium on coal plants, overruling the ill-conceived local decision of county commissioners.
No nuclear power plant is totally "safe." The Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission admit continual threats from disgruntled employees, lax security, and terrorist threats from both physical and computer intruders are today's reality.
Mike Sparks, director of the DOE Office of Technology, admits, "The adversary has full use of the technology in advance to being made. And if we stand still and don't take the initiative to stay a step ahead on the technology, I think we're setting ourselves up for a disaster sometime down in the future."
I believe in "local control." These plants make all Idahoans "local." I am concerned about how decisions to allow nuclear power plants in Idaho will be made and so should every citizen in Idaho.The 2007 Idaho Energy Plan invites merchant nuclear power plants to use Idaho.
Will Payette and Owyhee county commissioners succumb to local pressure, special interest or intimidation to allow these plants in their county? Who stands to profit from them?
Do those who profit live in close proximity to them? If they are built, will Idahoans have to outbid California costs for any electricity generated from our soil and water?
I believe in being proactive instead of reactive and have joined with Dr. Peter Rickards and the good citizens of Idaho all across our state who have started an initiative to help protect Idaho and its citizens. This proactive group, Idaho Families For The Safest Energy (IFFSE) simply endorses the adoption of laws other states use to protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens. IFFSE also endorses the development and support of a wide diversity of safer, more cost effective, sustainable energy development.
Why should Idaho get stuck with these risks? The IFFSE initiative bans nuclear power until a final waste dump is approved and open. Idaho still houses the melted core of Three Mile Island. Why should our state become a bigger repository for more radioactive waste? If that is ever resolved, county commissioners still make the decision.
However, before the final permit is granted, statewide voter approval is required.This provides a fail-safe opportunity for all citizens within Idaho to have a voice in decisions that ultimately affect all of us. All citizens have the constitutional right to protect their family's life, liberty, health and personal property. This Initiative does just that, and we recommend the Legislature enact this safeguard into law this session.
Diana Obenauer, a Republican, is a Jerome County commissioner.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Please continue to speak up!
Last Minute Message about the House Environment Energy and Technology committee hearing on the Moratorium Bill (H689) on March 2nd.
From Peter Remmen of Coalition for Healthy Idaho Communities :
It is critically important that people throughout the State of Idaho - not just in the Magic Valley - know about the dangers of coal-fired power plants. Please call your Idaho friends and relatives right away who live outside of Magic Valley and tell them that the Moratorium Bill is crucial to the welfare of this state. Ask them to call or e-mail their legislators right away to tell them Idaho isn’t ready for coal-fired plants. In particular, lawmakers who sit on the House Environment, Energy and Technology Committee must hear about this by Thursday, March 2. There are several coal-fired plant proposals in the works all across southern Idaho. Idaho is one of only a couple of states that doesn’t have the pollution of coal-fired plants, and that is a good thing. We are the third fastest growing state in the nation, and clean air and water are part of the reason. To guarantee we don’t lose this battle, we have to have input from all over this state. You’ve done a great job in letting legislators know that Magic Valley isn’t ready for this. Now, let’s make sure lawmakers from the rest of this state hear from their own constituencies that they must support a moratorium.
If you haven't already done so, please contact the House Environment, Energy and Technology Committee through email and express your opposition to coal-fired power plants in Idaho. Go to the legislature's website above and select "How to Contact Legislators". Then procede to select the House Environment, Energy and Technology committee, and send an email to the entire committe on the form provided.
Also, don't forget to continue to write a Letter to the Editor every month - particularly to the Times-News and to The Statesman. There should be letters oppositing Sempra in every day's paper. We don't want to drop the ball here after spending so much time and energy getting the public's attention. And FINALLY, keep obtaining signatures on the petitions that are circulating around the Magic Valley.
For more information and contact links for legislators, county commissioners, and newspapers, go to Coalition for Healthy Idaho Communities.
From Peter Remmen of Coalition for Healthy Idaho Communities :
It is critically important that people throughout the State of Idaho - not just in the Magic Valley - know about the dangers of coal-fired power plants. Please call your Idaho friends and relatives right away who live outside of Magic Valley and tell them that the Moratorium Bill is crucial to the welfare of this state. Ask them to call or e-mail their legislators right away to tell them Idaho isn’t ready for coal-fired plants. In particular, lawmakers who sit on the House Environment, Energy and Technology Committee must hear about this by Thursday, March 2. There are several coal-fired plant proposals in the works all across southern Idaho. Idaho is one of only a couple of states that doesn’t have the pollution of coal-fired plants, and that is a good thing. We are the third fastest growing state in the nation, and clean air and water are part of the reason. To guarantee we don’t lose this battle, we have to have input from all over this state. You’ve done a great job in letting legislators know that Magic Valley isn’t ready for this. Now, let’s make sure lawmakers from the rest of this state hear from their own constituencies that they must support a moratorium.
If you haven't already done so, please contact the House Environment, Energy and Technology Committee through email and express your opposition to coal-fired power plants in Idaho. Go to the legislature's website above and select "How to Contact Legislators". Then procede to select the House Environment, Energy and Technology committee, and send an email to the entire committe on the form provided.
Also, don't forget to continue to write a Letter to the Editor every month - particularly to the Times-News and to The Statesman. There should be letters oppositing Sempra in every day's paper. We don't want to drop the ball here after spending so much time and energy getting the public's attention. And FINALLY, keep obtaining signatures on the petitions that are circulating around the Magic Valley.
For more information and contact links for legislators, county commissioners, and newspapers, go to Coalition for Healthy Idaho Communities.
(Guess we just don't have enough money invested in our legislators to earn our right to be heard??)
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU.
The air and water you save will be your own!
Monday, February 27, 2006
Contact your legislator!
From Senator Clint Stennett (District 25), Senate Minority Leader:
February 27, 2006
Protect Idaho by supporting HB689!
SEMPRA coverage in the Times-News
Posted at Gooding Drinking Liberally:
Jerome Cty Coal-Fired Power Plant FACT SHEET
February 27, 2006
Legislators need to be aware that residents are watching how we handle this sensitive issue. There needs to be persistent pressure from the public on legislators to get this issue right the first time. Once this facility is operating, we will not be able to "unring the bell".Previous entries regarding SEMPRA:
Sempra officials told the House Environmental and Energy Committee yesterday that if they passed the moratorium (H689), they would take their industry elsewhere. I only hope that Idaho Legislators will not take that as a threat. This is a new industry to Idaho. We are not set up to address all the concerns this industry will bring along with it. If we permit this industry out of fear and blindly open our borders to this industry without taking the time necessary to set up the crucial processes to protect our resources and the public, we will be selling out Idaho and all the residents of Southern Idaho at this time.
If Sempra cannot respect the time necessary to prepare ourselves for them, then they don't deserve Idaho. Please continue to share your opinions with other legislators, as well as your neighbors, friends and family and ask them to do the same.
Protect Idaho by supporting HB689!
SEMPRA coverage in the Times-News
Posted at Gooding Drinking Liberally:
Jerome Cty Coal-Fired Power Plant FACT SHEET
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