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News
IDAHO LEGISLATURE APPROVES WELL CONSTRUCTION RULES
Over
the last 2 1/2 years, the Idaho Ground Water Association and the
Idaho Department of Water Resources have been diligently working on
a new set of Well Construction Rules for the Industry. There
were a total of 17 Negotiated Rulemaking sessions that took place.
The IGWA also held 32 individual Board meetings (usually on Monday
evenings from 6-9 PM) to review and discuss the most current issue
or DRAFT of the Rules. Needless to say, these Rules had been
hammered and put through the sausage grinder before going before the
Water Resource Board the second time.
The
IGWA Board of Directors approved the July 9, 2008 DRAFT of the Rules by
a measure of 6-2 with one absent and one abstaining vote.
Members of the IGWA Board testified in front of the Water Resource
Board on July 17th in Coeur d' Alene in support of the Rules, which
were adopted by the Water Resource Board.
Most
recently, members of the IGWA and the Industry (through an
outstanding team effort) helped the Rules pass through the Idaho
State Legislature. The vote in the Senate Natural Resource
Committee was 8-1 in favor and in the House Resource &
Conservation Committee 5-1 in the sub-committee and 18-0 in the full
Committee.
I
want to personally thank the members of the IGWA Board of Directors
(Henry Baker, Roger Buchanan, Tom Richardson, Steve Baker, Rob
Dawson) and others in the Ground Water Industry (Mark
Hiddleston and Sylvan Adamson to name a few) for taking the
time away from your businesses and homes to attend the hearings
and speak in support of these Rules on behalf of your interests and
on behalf of protecting our precious Ground Water Resource during
the 2009 Legislative Session. Without your message to the
Legislature, these Rules would not have been approved.
I
also want to personally thank the Idaho Department of Water
Resources (Director Tuthill, Gary Spackman, Tom Neace, Chad Hersley
and Rob Whitney) for listening to our Industry's needs and
concerns throughout the process and for their continued support of
our Association and our Industry.
Roger Batt - Executive Director
Contact IGWA at: IGWA | 55 SW 5th Ave, Suite 100 | Meridian, ID 83642
ph: 208-888-0988 | fx: 208-888-4586 | roger@amgidaho.com