03/11/08 Field burning could resume this year

The Idaho Board of Environmental Quality is expected to approve a new set of air quality rules tomorrow that could lead to the resumption of field burning in the state. Governor Butch Otter signed legislation on Friday that will shift regulation of field burning from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Environmental Quality. But DEQ's Mike McGown says that's just one of the steps that has to be taken before burning resumes. MCGOWN "We also have to do an air quality analysis to demonstrate that the new program is going to be compliant with the Clean Air Act. We are in the middle of putting that work together to submit it to EPA." Field burning in Idaho was banned last year when a federal appeals court said the practice was illegal under the Clean Air Act. But with the help of a mediator opposing sides were able to sit down and hammer out the agreement. MCGOWN "I believe the statute kind of went through in record time as did our rule making process and we're set to take our air quality analysis and program operating guide to the public in the beginning of April with the idea of that going to public comment and then being submitted to EPA in early May and then it will go through their approval process at that point." The compromise agreement allows burning under guidelines more restrictive than current EPA rules. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott