Field burning plan gains OK

BOISE - Greased rail legislation to codify the terms of a statewide crop residue burning agreement finished its 11-day sprint through the Idaho Legislature when it gained final legislative approval Thursday.

The Senate passed House Bill 557 on a 34-0 vote.

HB 557 passed the full House 66-0 on Feb. 29.

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is scheduled to sign the bill into law at a signing ceremony this afternoon at the governor's office.

Rep. Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, recently urged lawmakers to put the measure on the legislative fast track toward law so that state agency rules may be approved for a statewide crop residue burning season in Idaho this year. Roberts set a March 11 target date for the bill to become law - a day before the next Idaho Department of Environmental Quality board meeting.

Patti Gora, the executive director at Safe Air For Everyone, said a May 9 target date has been set for Idaho to submit a documented plan to the federal Environmental Protection Agency to gain approval for crop residue burning to tentatively occur in October.

Idaho's agreement for the practice of burning crop residue came about through a series of negotiations between farmers, state agencies, and SAFE, that began in July, Gora said.