03/06/06 Power plant`s impact on agriculture?

The Idaho legislature will have a very different feel to it next year without Bruce Newcomb. The Idaho House Speaker says this is it for him, and just turning 66, he's retiring and won't seek re-election. That will end Newcomb's eight year tenure as House Speaker but the farmer from Burley says he's not sure what he'll do now that his political life is changing. Before Newcomb and the rest of the legislature leave Boise later this month they'll have to deal with the Sempra controversy. There's a proposed bill that would create a two year moratorium on permits and licenses for coal-fired power plants. California based Sempra wants to build a 600 megawatt power plant north of Jerome. Former Governor John Evans told a group of lawmakers that the plant would be a threat to Magic Valley agriculture because of air and water quality issues. Bob Nearebout of the United Dairymen's Association says his organization normally supports new business ventures like this. NEAREBOUT "Even though it's a controversial decision for them to be aligned on the same side of an issue as the Idaho Conservation League, a group that has sued us as an industry, they're willing to put that aside and say 'okay, what's in the best interest of the dairy industry." That's why the dairy group wants the moratorium. State and federal agencies will have the final say on the environmental aspects of the plant but right now the decision the site location is up to the Jerome County commissioners. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott