OUR VIEW: IS THE NEW TAX LAW GOOD FOR FARMERS? Page 6
Capital Press
A g
The West’s
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2017
VOLUME 90, NUMBER 52
Weekly
WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM
$2.00
Photo courtesy USFWS, William Campbell
A pack of wolves has been detected
in the Boise foothills area for the first
time. There have been sporadic, lone
wolf sightings in the area for years but
Idaho Wildlife Services is now keeping
an eye on the seven-wolf pack.
Wolf pack
detected
in foothills
near Boise
A very optional list
of resolutions for
the coming year
Sporadic lone wolf
sightings for years,
now Idaho Wildlife
Services watching pack
in area for first time
By CARL SAMPSON
Capital Press
I
t’s a new year. A blank slate. Another 365-day-long
opportunity to get ’er done.
It’s also a good time to make a resolution, or two.
It could have to do with the farm, or with you, or
anything else that’s important to you.
We’ve come up with a list of resolutions for 2018.
It’s not comprehensive, nor is it exclusive. Or compulso-
ry. Consider it food for thought as you launch into a new
year chock full of promise and opportunity.
Each new calendar gives each of us a chance to do
the things we always wanted to do, catch up on things
we didn’t do last year and seek new opportunities in
business and in life.
With 2018 offering all of these and more, we hereby
offer for your consideration the Unofficial Capital Press
List of Resolutions for 2018:
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
BOISE — Idaho Wildlife Ser-
vices is keeping its eyes on a pack
of seven wolves that has been de-
tected in the foothills north of Boi-
se.
News that a pack of wolves has
been detected in that area was not
welcomed by the state’s cattle in-
dustry.
There have been lone wolf
sightings in the Boise foothills over
the years but this is believed to be
the first time a pack has been con-
firmed in the area.
IWS State Director Todd Grimm
said seven different sets of wolf
tracks have been found near Avi-
mor Subdivision, which is located
in the foothills north of Boise, by
far the state’s largest urban area.
Wildlife Services is a USDA
agency that solves conflicts be-
tween humans and animals.
Grimm said there have been no
reported livestock depredations as-
sociated with the pack, “but there
are cattle in that vicinity, as well as
pets, so the possibility is certainly
there for a conflict.”
Idaho Cattle Association Execu-
tive Vice President Cameron Mul-
rony said he has not heard of any
problems associated with the pack
from cattlemen in the region but the
news is certainly not welcomed by
them.
• Fix that piece of equipment you’ve been meaning to
fix since the end of harvest.
• Upgrade your computer. While you’re at it, you’ll
probably have to upgrade your software, too.
• Help a neighbor.
• Set up a succession plan for your farm, ranch or
business. If you already have a succession plan, give it a
check-up with your lawyer.
• Go over the new federal tax law with your accoun-
tant to figure out how it will impact you and your farm.
• Hug your wife (or husband) every day.
• Lose some weight.
• Tell someone what a farmer does, and why. People
are curious about farming. Expect lots of questions.
• Plan a party and invite all of your neighbors. There’s
no better way to get to know them.
Turn to RESOLUTIONS, Page 10
Turn to BOISE, Page 10
EPA nixes bid to herd livestock under Clean Air Act
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
The Environmental Protection
Agency announced Tuesday it has
denied a petition by environmental
groups to regulate concentrated ani-
mal feeding operations like factories
under the Clean Air Act.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, in
a letter to petitioners, acknowledged
livestock are potential sources of
air pollutants. The agency, however,
doesn’t have a reliable method for
estimating animal emissions. Until it
does, new rules could be unjustified
and ineffective, according to Pruitt.
“Once the agency has sufficient in-
formation on CAFO emissions, it will
determine the appropriate regulatory
approach to address those emissions,”
he stated.
The EPA decision, posted in the
Federal Register, answers a petition
filed in 2009 by The Humane Society
of the United States and other environ-
mental groups.
The groups sought to bring concen-
trated animal feeding operations un-
der Section 111 of the Clean Air Act.
The section requires stationary sourc-
es of air pollution to adopt the “best
system” for reducing emissions. The
New Year’s deadlines
5th
For the Jan.
n of
print editio
s.
Capital Pres
• News display and legal ads deadlines Friday, Dec. 29th
• Classified display ads are due by 10AM, Tuesday, Jan. 3rd
• Classified line ads are due by Noon, Tuesday, Jan. 3rd
groups said farms with a large number
of animals harm human health, poison
the environment and cause climate
change.
The EPA says it can’t judge a farm’s
contribution to air pollution based on
the number of its animals. Weather,
geography, management practices and
other factors affect livestock emis-
sions, according to EPA.
Pruitt said the EPA will finish work
Turn to EPA, Page 10
20 1 8
52-2/HOU
Environmentalists petitioned for regulation