Joint committee approves dedicated-fund package for DEQ including Triumph Mine monitoring and permitting shifts

Janet Jessup, a budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, told the joint Senate Finance and House Appropriations committees that the Department of Environmental Quality’s request includes three enhancements: ongoing remediation monitoring at the Triumph Mine, a $1.5 million transfer for Coeur d’Alene Basin remediation, and a fund-source adjustment to shift two employees from federal to dedicated funds to support the Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting work.

"The first enhancement that was requested by the agency and recommended by the governor was a request of ... dollars ongoing from the environmental remediation fund for monitoring and maintenance costs at the Triumph Mine," Jessup said, summarizing agency requests for remediation and permitting changes.

Vice Chair Miller moved the package on behalf of the committee, detailing the net financial changes that implement the agency’s requests. The motion called for adding $2,011,700 from dedicated funds and reducing federal fund authority by $181,700, for a net total of $1,830,000 to be reallocated to remediation, permitting, and IPDES support.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about the proposed cash transfers and the new solid-waste regulatory fund created by House Bill 555. Jessup explained the on-screen language would consolidate several permitting cash balances into two funds and add a single cash flow transfer to the solid-waste regulatory fund for its first-year operations.

After brief discussion the committee approved the motion. The clerk recorded roll-call tallies consistent with the transcript’s announcement: each committee’s majority voted in the affirmative and the joint committee’s recommendation was recorded as do-pass.

What happens next: the approved adjustments and the attached language will be forwarded as the committee’s do-pass recommendation to the next legislative stage for consideration.