2001 Legislation
Print Friendly

HOUSE BILL NO. 261 – Soil conservation dist, policy

HOUSE BILL NO. 261

View Daily Data Tracking History

View Bill Text

View Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



Text to be added within a bill has been marked with Bold and
Underline. Text to be removed has been marked with
Strikethrough and Italic. How these codes are actually displayed will
vary based on the browser software you are using.

This sentence is marked with bold and underline to show added text.

This sentence is marked with strikethrough and italic, indicating
text to be removed.

Daily Data Tracking History



H0261...............................................by AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS
SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICTS - Amends existing law to revise legislative
determinations and declaration of policy relating to the state soil
conservation commission and soil conservation districts.
                                                                        
02/15    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/16    Rpt prt - to Agric Aff

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
 Fifty-sixth Legislature                  First Regular Session - 2001
                                                                        
                                                                        
                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                        
                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 261
                                                                        
                             BY AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO THE SOIL CONSERVATION COMMISSION AND DISTRICTS;  AMENDING  SECTION
  3        22-2716,  IDAHO CODE, TO REVISE LEGISLATIVE DETERMINATIONS AND DECLARATION
  4        OF POLICY AND TO MAKE TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.
                                                                        
  5    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
  6        SECTION 1.  That Section 22-2716, Idaho Code, be, and the same  is  hereby
  7    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
  8        22-2716.  LEGISLATIVE  DETERMINATIONS  AND  DECLARATION  OF  POLICY. It is
  9    hereby declared, as a matter of legislative determination:
 10        A.  The Condition. That the farm, ranch, range and  forest  lands  of  the
 11    state  of  Idaho  are among the basic assets of very important to the state of
 12    Idaho and that the preservation of these lands it is necessary to protect  and
 13    promote  the health, safety, and general welfare of its people; that we recog-
 14    nize that natural factors and improper land-use  practices  have  caused,  and
 15    have  contributed to, and are now causing and contributing to, a progressively
 16    more serious erosion of the farm, ranch, range and forest lands of  the  state
 17    by wind and water; that the breaking of natural grass, plant, and forest cover
 18    have  interfered  with  the  natural  factors  of  soil stabilization, causing
 19    loosening of soil and exhaustion of humus, and  developing  a  soil  condition
 20    that  favors erosion; that the topsoil is being blown and washed out of fields
 21    and pastures; that there has been an accelerated washing  of  sloping  fields;
 22    that  these  processes  of  erosion by wind and water speed up with removal of
 23    absorptive topsoil causing exposure of less absorptive and less protective but
 24    more erosive subsoil; that failure by any land occupier to conserve  the  soil
 25    and  control  erosion  upon his lands causes a washing and blowing of soil and
 26    water from his lands onto other lands and makes the conservation of  soil  and
 27    control of erosion on such other public and private lands. difficult or impos-
 28    sible.
 29        B.  The  Consequences.  That  the consequences of such soil erosion in the
 30    form of soil-blowing and soil-washing are the  silting  and  sedimentation  of
 31    stream  channels, reservoirs, dams and ditches; the loss of fertile soil mate-
 32    rial in dust storms; the piling up of soil on lower  slopes  and  its  deposit
 33    over  alluvial  plains; the reduction in productivity or outright ruin of rich
 34    bottom lands by overwash of poor subsoil material, sand, and gravel swept  out
 35    of  the hills; deterioration of soil and its fertility, deterioration of crops
 36    grown thereon; loss of soil and water which causes  destruction  of  food  and
 37    cover  for  wildlife;  a  blowing and washing of soil into streams which silts
 38    over spawning beds, and destroys water plants, diminishing the food supply  of
 39    fish; a diminishing of the underground water reserve which causes water short-
 40    ages,  intensifies  periods of drought, and causes crop failures; and increase
 41    in the speed and volume of rainfall  runoff,  causing  severe  and  increasing
 42    floods,  which bring suffering, disease, and death; impoverishment of families
 43    attempting to farm eroding and eroded lands; damage to roads;, highways, rail-
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1    ways, farm buildings, and other property from floods and from dust storms; and
  2    losses in hydroelectric power, municipal  water  supply,  irrigation  develop-
  3    ments, farming and grazing.
  4        C.  The  Appropriate  Corrective  Methods. That to conserve soil resources
  5    and control and prevent soil erosion, and prevent floodwater and sediment dam-
  6    ages, and further the conservation, development, utilization, and disposal  of
  7    water it is necessary that land-use practices contributing to soil wastage and
  8    soil  erosion  be  discouraged and appropriate soil-conserving  land-use prac-
  9    tices including works of improvement for flood prevention and  furthering  the
 10    conservation,  development,  utilization, and disposal of water be adopted and
 11    carried out; that among the procedures necessary for widespread adoption,  are
 12    the  carrying  on  of  engineering operations such as the construction of ter-
 13    races, terrace outlets, check dams,  desilting  basins,  floodwater  retarding
 14    structures,  channel  improvements, floodwaters, dikes, ponds, ditches and the
 15    like; the utilization of strip croppings, lister furrowing, contour  cultivat-
 16    ing, and contour furrowing; land drainage; land irrigation; seeding and plant-
 17    ing  of  waste,  sloping,  abandoned,  or eroded lands to water-conserving and
 18    erosion-preventing plants, trees, and grasses; forestation and  reforestation;
 19    rotation  of crops; soil stabilization with trees, grasses, legumes, and other
 20    thick-growing, soil holding crops; retardation of runoff by increasing absorp-
 21    tion of rainfall; and retirement from cultivation  of  steep,  highly  erosive
 22    areas and areas now badly gullied or otherwise eroded.
 23        D.  Declaration  of  Policy. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the
 24    legislature to provide for the conservation of the soil and soil resources  of
 25    this  state,  and  for the control and prevention of soil erosion, and for the
 26    prevention of floodwater and sediment damages, and for furthering the  conser-
 27    vation,  development,  utilization, and disposal of water, and thereby to pre-
 28    serve natural resources, control floods, prevent impairment of dams and reser-
 29    voirs, assist in maintaining the navigability of rivers and harbors,  preserve
 30    wildlife,  protect the tax base, protect public lands, and promote the health,
 31    safety, and general welfare of the people of this state.
 32        It is hereby further declared to be the policy of the legislature that the
 33    soil conservation commission provide support and service to soil  conservation
 34    districts  in  the  wise  use  and  enhancement  of  soil,  water  and related
 35    resources.
 36        E.  Planning. The state also declares that the health, safety and  general
 37    welfare  of  the  people  of  this  state can be greatly enhanced by providing
 38    opportunities to landowners and land users enabled to readily  understand  and
 39    plan for local, state and federal natural resource requirements and opportuni-
 40    ties through technological innovation and processes.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


                        STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                             RS 11103
                                 
The purpose of this legislation is to clarify the duties relating to
the Soil Conservation Commission and Districts and best

describes the role and responsibilities.

                                  
                          FISCAL IMPACT
                                 
                                 
                                 
There is no impact on the General Fund or on the Soil Conservation
Commission and Districts.


Contact
     Name: Lynn Tominaga, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation
     Phone:     381 0294




















STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                       H 26