Governor applauds farmers in State of the State

By Sean Ellis

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

BOISE – In his State of the State address Jan. 6, Gov. Brad Little gave a shout-out to the state’s farmers for solving a major water dispute themselves before it got out of control and harmed the state’s agriculture industry.

Facing a potential water calamity involving the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer this past growing season, Idaho farmers who pump groundwater and those who get their irrigation from surface water got together and hashed out a new agreement that benefits both sides.

Left unsolved, the water dispute could have potentially led to hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland along the ESPA without water.

Instead, farmers from both sides of the issue sat down together and hashed out an agreement after lengthy, contentious discussions.

The governor, a farmer and rancher himself, applauded them for that.

“Our farmers confronted a real problem head on – the long-term decline of water in the aquifer that sustains Idaho agriculture,” he said. “Our farmers worked hard to secure a new water deal that safeguards Idaho’s water sovereignty. Friends, let’s thank our farmers.”

“Along with our citizen legislators and Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke,” he added, “they crafted a new plan that maintains control of our water destiny, not other states, not the feds and not the men and women in robes.”

In his proposed budget, Little recommends the Idaho Legislature approve an additional $30 million in funding to address critical water infrastructure needs.

This money could be used for potential storage capacity projects, aquifer recharge needs and innovative water efficiency tools.

“The ongoing funding will support Idaho’s main economic driver across the state – agriculture,” his proposed budget states.

In his State of the State address, Little said the state’s water funding plan “helps tackle the backlog of unfunded water projects, because securing water for future generations and protecting Idaho agriculture requires … continued investments that have proven to raise water levels in the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer – the lifeblood of Idaho agriculture.”

The governor’s proposed budget also recommends $100 million for wildfire management “to ensure Idaho is prepared to manage and suppress fires quickly, before they threaten livestock, ranches, farms and homes.”

The budget includes a recommendation of $5 million “for improved aviation and detection strategies to ensure early fire suppression….”

In his State of the State address, Little pointed out that he called out the feds last summer “for not putting out wildfires more aggressively … I look forward to working with the Trump administration to boldly transform how wildfire and our western lands are managed.”

The governor encouraged additional funding to address critical transportation infrastructure such as roads and bridges, which are a critical asset for Idaho’s agriculture industry to move products to market quickly and efficiently.

“We will continue to improve our existing roads and bridges and get people and products across our state safely and efficiently,” he said.

The governor recommends a $50 million investment in a bonding program which, according to his proposed budget, “will allow the state to bond for an additional $800 million for new infrastructure and address some of the $10 billion in unfunded projects that remain critical to support Idaho’s growth.”

The governor called for another $100 million in tax relief for Idahoans and pledged to continue to cut red tape and reduce burdensome government regulations that stifle businesses.

“President Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency is already looking to Idaho for the blueprint on how to cut red tape, stimulate economic growth and streamline government,” Little said.

When it comes to reducing red tape, “There is no doubt Idaho is on a roll,” he said. “Even Elon Musk posted on social media three times in one day about Idaho’s red tape reduction successes.”

Little said that in the coming weeks, “I will highlight all the ways Idaho is conquering waste in government, with some brand-new ideas on reducing government’s footprint in people’s lives.”