9-16 IAT Ace Black Ranch 3

Ace Black Ranch finally got an inspection report from the EPA. That’s after they were visited by armed US Marshalls and EPA inspectors came on June 16th. Ace Black Ranch Attorney Norm Semanco: The Blacks have been asking from the beginning to EPA and the Corps of Engineers. What is it that you think we might have done wrong? Let's sit down and have a discussion, and if there's something that that that merits attention, let's address it. Let's solve the problem. And the federal agencies have refused to have that kind of discussion, refused to provide us that basic information when obtained a search warrant in the dead of night, from federal magistrate judge to come out and comb around 800 plus acres of irrigated farm and look for who knows what. The warrant is very broad. And now we find out afterwards, at least in part, that they were looking at irrigation pivots. Unannounced the EPA showed up at Ace Black Ranches front gate the morning of June 14th. Here’s Telby Black: The main focus doesn't seem to be anything near or around the river. After almost three days of the EPA search, the inspectors abruptly packed and left. They didn't say what they found or what warranted the search. July twenty third, the case was in Federal District Court in Boise. The Blacks were never told what they were charged with. Ace Black ranches has changed our irrigation system. We went from flood irrigation to center pivots. The Bruno River Conservation District says the ranch does everything by the book and even took measures to conserve water. Rayola Jacobsen of the Bruneau River Conservation District:We’re putting in a number of water conservation projects. Everybody supports everybody else. This is a drought year and water is short, so putting in pivots was very helpful. Ace Black ranch is still playing the waiting game, waiting to see if the EPA will charge them, waiting for life to get back to normal.