Climate action is about creating green jobs and a new economy for the future, while safeguarding the health of all Boise residents. The City of Boise is devoted to this goal, and has assembled a team of experts to help achieve it. We spoke to the CEO of Idaho Power, Darrel Anderson, and Ben Otto, of the Idaho Conservation League (ICL), to learn more about who benefits from the current policy and what it means for the future of solar energy in Idaho. The ICL is a non-profit organization based in central Idaho.
It is made up of Councilwoman Courtney Hamilton, architect Rebecca Bundy and Betsy Mizell, director of the ICL. Sandpoint was one of 87 communities in Idaho that received a failing grade in a report from the ICL that evaluated the state of wastewater treatment systems. Idaho Matters talks to a solar energy advocate about why these changes could harm Idaho homeowners who have already installed the panels. That's the message that an Idaho conservation group and its supporters are sending to the Environmental Protection Agency.
I felt at ease at a meeting of ranchers, miners or loggers as I did at the ICL's annual Wild Idaho conference in Redfish Lake. Volunteers from the Kaniksu Land Trust, the Kinnickinnick Native Plant Society, the ICL and the Master Naturalists of Bonner County, along with students from half a dozen schools, spent 1,467 hours planting 20,813 native shrubs and trees. There is more than enough wood in Idaho's national forests to meet the demands of the mass lumber market, said Brad Smith, director of the ICL for northern Idaho. The ICL, which has held talks about the application of pesticides, will try to better understand the FAA's oversight process “to ensure that public health is protected for both communities, water quality supplies and agricultural workers”, said Jonathan Oppenheimer, director of government relations for the non-profit organization.
The ICL also participated in negotiations on a tariff case and expressed support for the agreement. The initiative of Mike Simpson (Republican of Idaho) on the Columbia River Basin would guarantee that funds are set aside in the federal infrastructure bill to breach four dams in the lower part of the Snake River in order to save the state's declining wild salmon population. As wildfires in the west burn during this hot summer, the ICL has created a worksheet to help protect you and your loved ones from wildfire smoke and days with poor air quality. The discussion rekindled the debate between motorized and non-motorized recreational people; according to Josh Johnson, conservation associate with the ICL, the current administration is fully in favor of motorized recreation.
Taxpayers would bear additional clean-up costs associated with a mine that continues to release arsenic, zinc and other heavy metals into groundwater, according to Josh Johnson, conservation associate with Central Idaho Conservation League. The District Court includes laws passed in the last five years that create a path through the Idaho Department of Water Resources for ranchers to take control of federal public lands included in tap water rights through a state-approved forfeiture procedure. So how do environmental organizations like ICL measure their success and impact on Boise's environment? They track their progress through various metrics such as number of volunteers recruited or hours spent planting native shrubs and trees. They also monitor air quality levels and water quality supplies to ensure public health is safeguarded.
Additionally, they assess their success by looking at how many communities have improved their wastewater treatment systems or how many people have been educated on solar energy initiatives. Ultimately, environmental organizations like ICL are devoted to protecting Boise's environment by creating green jobs and a new economy for its future. Through their efforts they are able to measure their success and impact on Boise's environment.
