TITLE 39

HEALTH AND SAFETY

CHAPTER 36

WATER QUALITY

39-3628A.  agricultural best management practices (BMP) fund established. (1) There is hereby created and established in the state treasury the agricultural best management practices (BMP) fund. The state treasurer shall invest the idle moneys of the account, and the interest earned on such investments shall be retained by the account. All moneys in the account are appropriated continuously to the department of environmental quality to be used and administered by it for the purposes specified in subsection (3) of this section and shall not be subject to the provisions of the standard appropriations act of 1945 or section 67-3516, Idaho Code.

(2)  The fund shall have paid into it any gifts or grants from any source when the same are made for purposes consistent with those for which the fund is established, interest due to the investment of moneys in the account, or any other appropriation provided by the legislature.

(3)  The department may expend or grant moneys from the agricultural best management practices (BMP) fund for a statewide grant program to support implementation of agricultural best management practices to help meet water quality standards in impaired water bodies in Idaho. The following are eligible for grants from the agricultural BMP fund:

(a)  Agricultural producers;

(b)  Organizations that provide irrigation water and drainage; and

(c)  Soil conservation districts and other local public and private nonprofit organizations organized for the purpose of supporting agricultural BMP implementation. The department must ensure that such local organizations seeking funding for local agricultural BMP grant programs have sufficient knowledge, experience, and capability to conduct such programs and require that local agricultural BMP grants are subject to all the conditions and requirements of the statewide grant program.

(4)  On or before the first day of each regular legislative session, the department must submit to the legislature a report of any moneys expended or obligated and any work begun or completed in the prior fiscal year pursuant to subsection (3) of this section.

History:

[39-3628A, added 2021, ch. 175, sec. 1, p. 487.]