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14 CapitalPress.com June 3, 2016 Idaho Water Resource Board funds aquifer model By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press BOISE — The Idaho Wa- ter Resource Board has bud- geted $500,000 toward the fi rst year of a fi ve-year effort to study Treasure Valley aqui- fers and develop an improved model to predict their function. The project was included in $14.4 million the board allo- cated May 20 for its Secondary Aquifer Fund. The Idaho Legislature sig- nifi cantly increased its contribu- tion to the fund for Fiscal Year 2017, which begins July 1, from $5.5 million during the current fi scal year to $12.5 million. The remainder of the fund- ing will come from carryover dollars and revenue generat- ed by board assets, including Dworshak Dam and Pristine Springs Fish Hatchery. Al Barker, a Water Re- Sean Ellis/Capital Press Crops are irrigated in Idaho’s Treasure Valley. The Idaho Water Resource Board has approved $500,000 to begin to model Trea- sure Valley aquifers to better understand the interaction between groundwater and surface water. source Board member who serves as the attorney for the Boise Project Board of Control, explained there are several layers of aquifers within Treasure Valley, some of which are interconnect- ed while others are isolated. While some have an adequate supply, others are in decline. “I’ve always been an ad- vocate for looking beyond the Eastern Snake Plain,” Barker said. “There are many aqui- fers in the state that are in need of study.” Sean Vincent, hydrology section manager at the Ida- ho Department of Water Re- sources, plans to team with the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Idaho ex- perts in developing the mod- el. Vincent said the USGS was instrumental in helping to develop previous models, including one for the Spo- kane Valley-Rathdrum Prai- rie Aquifer. Vincent said the board will also create a tech- nical advisory team to provide user input on the project. Though groundwater mod- els have provided the science to base water calls on the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, Vincent doesn’t anticipate the a Treasure Valley model would be used for conjunctive management in the future. Rather, he explained it should aid in efforts to bolster groundwater levels through recharge, and in making bet- ter management decisions for users throughout the system. Vincent said a Senate con- current resolution directed the board to address statewide aquifer and sustainability studies and develop a Trea- sure Valley groundwater mod- el with “all necessary mea- surement networks.” As a starting point, Vincent explained the model will use the existing Treasure Valley Hydrologic Project Model, which is static based on an average year. The Bureau of Reclamation “tweaked” the model in 2013 to consider economic data and monthly variability, Vincent said. He said the new model will be transient — factoring sea- sonal and yearly changes — highly calibrated, and will use satellite data to calculate water losses through evapo- transpiration. In the fi rst year of the proj- ect, Vincent said the team will focus on fi lling in data gaps, such as installing at least a dozen gages to measure wa- ter leaving a shallow aquifer from drains that pour into the Snake River and Boise River. Wesley Hipke, IDWR re- charge coordinator, said the board approved an additional $200,000 to study Treasure Valley recharge opportuni- ties and $200,000 to improve modeling in the Wood Riv- er Valley, among other line items. He said the majority of the funding — about $10.4 million — was earmarked for the ESPA. Idaho dry bean industry debating fi eld standard for nightshade By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service A greater sage grouse is shown in this fi le photo. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has said spon- sors of an Oregon wind energy project must study how the bird will be affected in the winter. Ruling hinders Oregon wind energy project Ranchers in Harney County hoped for economic boost ORE. 395 Area in detail 20 Burns Crane By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI 205 Capital Press A federal appeals court has dealt a serious blow to an al- ready-struggling wind energy project in Oregon’s Harney County that would give local ranchers an economic boost. Though the 100-megawatt wind energy project would have been built on private ranchland, the 12-mile trans- mission line necessary to con- nect turbines with the power grid would have to cross pub- lic property. That triggered an environ- mental analysis that has now been deemed unlawful by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Ap- peals, largely due to a winter- time sighting of sage grouse in the area. Approval for the project was originally granted by U.S. Bureau of Land Man- agement in 2011, but the litigation by environmental groups and the dropping price of renewable energy have de- layed installation of the wind Malheur Lake 78 Harney Lake Proposed wind farm project site N Diamond MALHEUR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Wind mills Alan Kenaga/Capital Press turbines indefi nitely. Due to the uncertainty caused by the lawsuit, fi led by the Oregon Natural Desert Association and the Audubon Society of Portland, a pow- er-buying agreement secured by project developer Columbia Energy Partners was canceled. The proposal now has an- other impediment to overcome due to the 9th Circuit ruling, which found that BLM failed to properly examine the im- pact on sage grouse, a former candidate for Endangered Spe- cies Act protection. Proponents of the wind project initially prevailed in court when U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman ruled in 2013 that BLM had complied with the National Environmental Policy Act in assessing its environmental effects. The 9th Circuit has re- versed that decision, holding that BLM wrongly concluded the wind turbine site wouldn’t be occupied by the sage grouse over winter. Contrary to BLM’s extrap- olation, the “wind-swept char- acter” of the site that “makes it ideal for wind-energy gen- eration” also indicated it can be used by the bird because “snow there may be blown off sagebrush and exposed for grouse to eat,” the ruling said. A sighting of sage grouse near the site in February under- mines the agency’s assumption that the area was too snowy to provide habitat for the bird, the appellate court found. “And with the impacts on sage grouse not properly estab- lished, the BLM did not know what impacts to mitigate, or whether the mitigation pro- posed would be adequate to offset damage to wintering sage grouse,” the opinion said. WILDER, Idaho — Ida- ho’s dry bean industry ap- pears split on whether to adopt a maximum fi eld stan- dard for hairy nightshade, a troublesome weed that costs the state’s industry about $8 million a year. Idaho dry bean seed test- ed in the laboratory for certi- fi cation can have no trace of the weed. But some people believe a fi eld standard for nightshade limiting the num- ber of plants in a given area is necessary to ensure the state’s bean seed industry remains competitive. Wyoming’s bean indus- try recently adopted a fi eld standard for nightshade and California and Washington are following suit, said Ida- ho Bean Commission board member Don Tolmie, pro- duction manager for Trea- sure Valley Seed Co. About 70 percent of the dry beans grown in Idaho are seed beans, and the state is the national leader in that category. Other states that are adopting nightshade field standards will use them to claim their seed certifica- tion process is better, Tolmie said. “These other states around us are ... looking at our blue tag (certification) system and looking to rep- licate it or improve it,” he said. “Idaho needs to adopt a nightshade field standard ... because other states that are after our business are (doing that.)” The nightshade field standard debate is still in the talking stages and the state’s bean advisory committee would have to recommend Sean Ellis/Capital Press Dry beans are sorted at the Treasure Valley Seed Co. facility in Homedale, Idaho, last September. Idaho’s dry bean industry is mulling whether to adopt a fi eld standard for the troublesome night- shade weed. Supporters of the idea say it’s necessary to ensure the state’s dry bean seed certifi cation process remains competitive. that rule change during its fall meeting, said Doug Boze, executive vice presi- dent of Idaho Crop Improve- ment Association, which supervises Idaho’s crop cer- tification program. Any proposed change would then have to be ap- proved by the Idaho Legis- lature. Parma grower Mike Good- son, an IBC board member, said it’s likely the state will need to move toward a night- shade fi eld standard to keep pace with other states that are doing that. “To what extreme, I don’t know right now,” he said. “But I think we have to start progressing toward some- thing if we’re going to (re- main) competitive.” Twin Falls grower Bill Bitzenburg, also a member of the IBC board, said the idea is good in theory but he worries about the extra costs it could add to dry bean production since nightshade pressure is so severe in some places that many farmers would struggle to meet any fi eld standard. “I know I couldn’t meet (any standard),” he said. “It’s a great idea in theory. It’s just the practical applications, the consequences of doing it that I’m concerned about.” There’s already zero tol- erance for nightshade in lab- oratory tests, “so what are we gaining other than being able to advertise that we’ve raised our standards?” Bit- zenburg added. “I think we need more input from grow- ers because it will affect them the most.” IBC board member Gina Lohnes, who works for Trin- idad Benham Corp., said the state’s entire dry bean indus- try is already working hard to try to eliminate the weed in fields. “I’m not sure if naming a certain maximum tolerance level would be any better than what we’re doing right now,” she said. “I think fi nding ways to help grow- ers control it is a better place for us to put our time and effort.” Apple commission Apple commission leader promotes use of logo sets its annual budget By DAN WHEAT Capital Press By DAN WHEAT Capital Press WENATCHEE, Wash. — The Washington Apple Com- mission adopted a $10.4 mil- lion budget for the fi scal year beginning July 1 at its May 19 meeting. The budget is up $270,000 from the estimated fi nal spending for 2015-2016. Re- serves are still at $3 million. The new spending plan in- cludes $5.6 million in federal and state grants with $5.1 mil- lion of that being federal Mar- ket Access Program money — known by the acronym MAP — for export promotions. The other major portion of revenue is $4.7 million in an- ticipated grower assessments of 3.5 cents per box of fresh packed apples based on an es- timated 135-million-box crop this fall. At the commission’s For- eign Trade Committee meet- ing in Ellensburg on April 21, estimates of the 2016 crop size ranged from 116 million to 153 million 40-pound box- es, with most at 132 million to 135 million, said Cass Geb- bers, committee chairman and president of Gebbers Farms in Brewster, Wash. A year ago the commis- sion estimated the 2015 crop at 125 million boxes. It’s now estimated at 115.8 million boxes and will change more depending on packouts before the season closes. The new budget allocates $5.1 million in MAP money and $2.6 million of grower assessment funds for a total of $7.7 million for export pro- motions. Of that, Mexico heads the list at $1.2 million, India is at $1.1 million, China and Hong Kong are at $858,000, Viet- nam is at $580,000, Indone- sia is at $550,000 and Central America is at $540,000. Others in descending or- der are: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Middle East, Colombia, Peru, West- ern Europe, the United King- dom, Canada and Russia. At the Foreign Trade Committee meeting, Geb- bers raised the possibility of companies opening a World Trade Organization case over anti-dumping tariffs placed on some Washington apple com- panies by Mexico. WENATCHEE, Wash. — Washington Apple Commis- sion President Todd Fryhover is urging tree fruit marketers to make greater use of the ge- neric Washington apple logo to increase exports. He touted co-branding and selective branding of the logo at a May 19 commission meeting in Wenatchee, noting that per capita consumption of Washington apples has been increasing. Co-branding is use of the generic Washington apple logo — an apple with the name “Washington” over it — along with an individual fruit company logo on the same PLU — the acronym for price look-up — sticker on an indi- vidual piece of fruit. Selective branding is use of the generic Washington logo instead of company lo- gos on fruit for specifi c mar- kets. The commission has in- vested $650 million over the past 75 years in promotional activities supporting the logo, including domestic promo- tions before 2003. The commission has con- Courtesy of Northern Fruit Co. Northern Fruit Co., East Wenatchee, Wash., will be us- ing new co-branded stickers on apples this season that show the company’s Nordic bear and the Washington apple logo. Previously, Northern just used the Washington logo. ducted only export promo- tions since losing its legal sta- tus for domestic promotions in 2003. The generic logo is highly regarded in foreign markets. “It’s the not the importer and wholesaler we are con- cerned about recognizing our fruit. They see it on the box- es. It’s not as obvious at the consumer level because fruit is sold mixed in bins and sig- nage is diffi cult,” Fryhover said. “The generic Washing- ton sticker helps identity and builds consumer continuity.” Exports need to increase, he said, because world ap- ple production is rising while trade barriers and other issues are slowing world fresh apple exports. Markets will become sat- urated and Washington apple companies, a small part of the international market, are stronger together under a sin- gle brand than separately, Fry- hover said. World production is pro- jected to increase from the current 80 million to 100 mil- lion metric tons by 2025, he said. Meanwhile, world fresh apple exports have been about 8.5 million metric tons since 2010 because of eco- nomic slowdowns in many markets. Protectionism in China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the European Union and a ban on Western produce by Russia have slowed exports, he said. Russia was the world’s largest importer of fresh ap- ples but its ban, imposed Aug. 7, 2014, in retaliation for Western sanctions for its aggression in Ukraine, has left European suppliers scrambling for other markets while their production in- creases, Fryhover said. Russia receives some gray-market apples but overall its ban has caused a global mar- ket disappearance for about 30 million apples, he said. Washington apple exports to India have fallen a dramatic 62 percent because of a strong dollar, Indian port closures now resolved and a 50 percent tariff, Fryhover said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if our 2014 volume into India (5.6 million boxes) may be our all- time high,” he said. Washington has exported 1.9 million boxes of apples to India this season as of May 15, he said, noting that to fi nish at 2.5 million boxes would be good. “India is important because it’s a Red Delicious-only mar- ket and we will need to export Reds and Gala in greater num- bers in the future,” he said. The commission will con- tinue to fund export promo- tions in India at $1.1 million. It takes a lot because it’s a large country geographically. Washington’s apple ex- ports will fi nish this season at about 26 to 28 percent of the crop, down from a norm of 30 percent mainly because of a strong dollar, he said.