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10 CapitalPress.com March 18, 2016 Idaho Subscribe to our weekly Idaho email newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters Bill sets out how Idaho would manage federal lands By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press Sean Ellis/Capital Press Water is stored in Lucky Peak Reservoir in October. A special court master has sided with Treasure Valley irrigators who say lood control releases from the reservoir should not count against their water storage rights. Special court master won’t reverse his flood control ruling By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press BOISE — A special court master has again ruled on the side of Treasure Valley irri- gators who oppose the state’s counting of lood control re- leases against reservoir water storage rights. Those irrigators, who called on the state to accept the ruling and stand down on the issue, say that water released from Boise River reservoirs to pre- vent looding in Idaho’s larg- est population center should not count against stored water rights. The Idaho Department of Water Resources and the state’s attorney general’s ofice say it should. In October, Theodore Booth, a special master of the Snake River Basin Adjudica- tion court, issued a ruling siding with the irrigators and on Feb. 26 he denied a request by the state to reverse his ruling. “We are very pleased and thankful for the special mas- ter’s decision because it reaf- irms the long-standing agree- ment that lood control releases do not count against Treasure Valley storage rights,” Treasure Valley Water Users Association Chairman Clinton Pline said in a news release. He also requested the state back away “from its legal chal- lenges, which threaten the Trea- sure Valley’s storage rights at taxpayer expense, for no legiti- mate reason.” In a separate IDWR admin- istrative hearing on the same issue, Director Gary Spack- man issued an order in Octo- ber that backs the department’s position. The state is expected to ap- peal Booth’s district court ruling to Judge Eric Wildman, the pre- siding judge of the SRBA court. Treasure Valley water us- ers have already appealed the IDWR ruling to Wildman, so it’s likely the judge will consider both appeals together, represen- tatives of both sides say. “I think people are assuming it will end up before the Ida- ho Supreme Court,” said Dan Steenson, a Boise water attorney representing Treasure Valley ir- rigators. Irrigators claim the state’s counting of lood control re- leases against reservoir storage rights is a new development and could lead to a catastrophic situ- ation where irrigation water runs out in early summer. IDWR oficials say the de- partment has counted lood con- trol releases in Basin 63 — the Boise Valley Basin — as sat- isied water rights since 1986, since the basin switched to a computerized accounting pro- gram. There has been no cata- strophic water shortage during that time, which disproves those claims, said IDWR Deputy Di- rector Mathew Weaver. “Anyone who says there has been a change in the way we administer water rights in Basin 63 ... does not have a good un- derstanding of the code and our administration practices in (that basin),” Weaver said. “There has been no such change.” BOISE — A bill intro- duced in the Idaho Legislature March 9 spells out how Idaho would manage any federal lands it receives in the future. A separate bill introduced a day later would require the federal government to receive legislative approval before buying or acquiring any addi- tional land in Idaho. Both were introduced by Rep. Judy Boyle, a Repub- lican rancher from Midvale who supports efforts by Utah and Idaho to compel the fed- eral government to return control of most public lands to western states. If that happens, House Bill 582 sets the parameters for how Idaho would manage those lands. Titled the “Idaho Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act,” the bill requires the state to manage those lands for multiple uses. The bill blunts criticism that Idaho would just sell those lands to the highest bid- der, Boyle said. “They are for true multiple use, so it’s everything. We’re talking about recreation, wild- life, the environment, grazing, mining, logging,” she said. “That reassures people we’re not going to sell all these lands... They’re going to be managed for multiple use for the best of Idaho.” The bill says the transfer of federally held public lands to the state would fulill the promise made in the U.S. and Idaho constitutions as well as the Idaho Admissions Act... “that any new state enter the union with all the same rights as the original 13 states.” Sean Ellis/Capital Press Idaho’s Capitol is shown in this Feb. 24 photo. A bill introduced in the Idaho Legislature spells out how the state would manage any federal land it receives in the future. The federal government promised all new states it would extinguish the title to public lands in a timely fash- ion and it has honored that promise for all states east of Colorado, say supporters of the effort to transfer control of federal lands. It’s time for the feder- al government to keep that same promise to Idaho and other Western states, Boyle said. The federal government owns and controls more than 62 percent of Idaho, which makes the state dependent on the federal government for money and hampers its econ- omy, Boyle said. “We’re treated like col- onies and fed crumbs,” she said. House Bill 586 withdraws any past consent the legis- lature granted to the federal government to acquire any additional land within Idaho. The federal government is trying to acquire addition- al land in Idaho, including in Washington County, but nobody knows exactly how much, Boyle said. Her bill would require the Legislature to approve any future acquisi- tion of Idaho land by the fed- eral government. “If it comes before the Legislature, we have debate on it and we know how much land the federal government is buying instead of nobody having any idea,” she said. “It shines some light on this thing.” “All it does is say, from this point forward, if the federal government wants additional land, it must get the consent of the Legislature,” said Ida- ho Farm Bureau Federation Director of Governmental Affairs Russ Hendricks. “It’s completely forward-looking.” Only 30 percent of the state is private land. “That’s what this bill is aimed at: maintaining that private land base in the state,” Hendricks said. New Southern Idaho economic director wants to build on success By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press TWIN FALLS, Idaho — With a streak of successes under its belt and the recent departure of the executive director who led that effort, Southern Idaho Economic Development Orga- nization has hired Jeff Hough as its new executive director to continue the push forward. Hough, director of work- force training at Idaho State University, has the combina- tion of skills and experience SIEDO was looking for to “keep our foot on the gas of econom- ic development,” said Mike Schutz, SIEDO chairman. Much of SIEDO’s more recent economic success has been in attracting and expand- ing food processing, relected in last year’s federal designa- tion of southern Idaho as one of the country’s top manufac- turing communities. Immediate past executive director Jan Rogers did an outstanding job and created the momentum that put south- ern Idaho on the map, even at a national level, Schutz said. SIEDO needed someone who could continue that work of at- tracting new business, retaining and expanding existing busi- nesses, developing workforce training and attracting new tal- ent to the area. Hough “brings an impres- sive set of skills to support eco- nomic growth in our region and is particularly experienced in digital media and marketing,” he said. “His current role in work- force development will offer a fresh perspective to the region in drawing talent to ill the many available jobs here while also supporting existing and new business opportunities,” he said. Hough said he is “truly humbled” to have been chosen for the position. “I am so grateful for this opportunity and blessed to be associated with this area and all ROP-10-4-2/#24 Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press Jeff Hough, left, new executive director of the Southern Idaho Economic Development Organization, talks with Jeff Fox, president of the College of Southern Idaho, at SIEDO’s quarterly meeting in Twin Falls on March 10. of you people,” he said to com- munity leaders during SIEDO’s quarterly meeting on March 10. SIEDO’s success relects the enthusiasm of community leaders, cohesive efforts, the responsiveness of the College of Southern Idaho to workforce needs and strong community support, he said. “Hats off to Jan for building that and to all of you,” he said. Southern Idaho is a “star on the map now. I want to come and make that star bright,” he said. “I’m really excited to be a part of this great foundation that’s already in place and ex- cited to add onto that. You’ve already done something great; let’s do something incredible,” he said. His irst order of business is to build on community relation- ships and facilitate a strategic plan among those communi- ties, he said. With his extensive back- ground and skills in digital marketing, Hough directed and grew ISU’s online marketing efforts to increase website trafic and increase student enrollment. He also served as a business consultant at ISU in workforce training, designing and facilitat- ing numerous training sessions for businesses, and pens a week- ly business column carried in ive Idaho newspapers. He is certiied in Inbound Marketing, which he said is vastly different than traditional “in-your-face” marketing. “It’s like leaving bread crumbs all over the Internet. My goal is to apply my skills to leave bread crumbs all over the world so people ind their way back to the Magic Valley,” he said. Hough holds a bachelor’s degree in inance from ISU, and the long-time high school coach is working on a master’s degree in athletic administra- tion. He is married with four children and two grandchildren and plans to relocate to Twin Falls from Pocatello. His oficial start date is March 28. Five named to East Idaho Ag Hall of Fame Capital Press 12-4/#5 IDAHO FALLS — Five new agricultural leaders have been selected to join the East- ern Idaho Agricultural Hall of Fame. Members to be sworn in during a planned March 18 recognition dinner at Shilo Inn include Garth Chivers, of Challis; Glenn Dalling, of Sugar City; Jerry Kress, of American Falls; E. Dale Jolley, of Salmon; and Terry Rindlisbaker, of Bancroft. Tickets are $25 and avail- able through the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce. Chivers is a rancher known for raising horses and following good conservation practices. He’s received sev- eral awards from the Custer Soil and Water Conservation District for his sustainable ranching methods. He and his wife, Glenis, have ive children. Dalling, a farmer, was recognized in a press release from the Hall of Fame for his “contributions to the de- velopment of irrigation sys- tems and grazing allotments in the Sugar, Salem, Hamer and Dubois areas. He served two terms as mayor of Sug- ar City and was also heavily involved in athletic groups at Ricks College, now Brigham Young University-Idaho. He and his wife, Dorothy, have nine children. Kress was recognized for his contributions to Idaho’s wheat industry. Kress was instrumental in the estab- lishment of the Idaho Barley Commission in the 1980s and in the transition of the Idaho Wheat Growers Association to the Idaho Grain Produc- ers Association, according to the press release. He and his wife, Gwen, have three chil- dren. Jolley, who put money down on his irst farm with funds raised from his FFA hog project, was recognized for his willingness to experi- ment on his farm. He brought one of the irst mechanical sugar beet thinners into his region, according to the press release. He also helped estab- lish some of the irst water districts in Lemhi County, helped plan for Steele Me- morial Hospital in Salmon and has been active in Farm Bureau. He and his wife, Mil- lie, have ive children. Rindlisbaker, a potato farmer, has raised more than 20 varieties of seed potatoes through the years and was recognized for quickly add- ing the latest technology to his farm — most recently, a drone for crop and water sur- veillance. He’s served on the North Gem School Board, the Caribou Memorial Hospi- tal Board and is now on the Soda Springs Airport Board. He and his wife, Marjean, have three children.