Recently in Washington

Last week, the House passed H.R. 3144, a bill to provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time, by a vote of 225 to 189.  The bill requires federal agencies to operate the Federal Columbia River Power System in a manner that is consistent with the current operations plan, while also protecting existing hydropower resources in the Pacific Northwest. This legislation prevents $40 million in costs being transferred to Pacific Northwest ratepayers in addition to saving the American taxpayer an estimated $14 million.  The House also passed H.R. 5447, the Music Modernization Act, as amended, by a vote of 415 to 0.  The bill updates several key provisions of U.S. copyright law regarding music licensing. 
 
On Thursday, the House passed H.R. 4744, the Iran Human Rights and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, as amended, by a vote of 410 to 2.  The bill  details the human rights abuses and hostage-taking perpetrated by the Government of Iran and requires the President to determine whether senior Iranian officials are responsible for human rights abuses and whether official Iranian businesses should be sanctioned for public corruption under existing law. The bill also imposes property-blocking and visa-denial sanctions for Iranian officials (and family members) responsible for politically motivated detentions of U.S. citizens and residents, or abuses against Iranian expatriates.
 
On Friday, the House passed H.R. 4, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, by a vote of 393 to 13.  The bill reauthorizes the programs of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years, provides long-term stability for the Nation’s aviation community, continues investment in airports across the country, improves America’s competitiveness in the global aviation sector, strengthens passenger protections, and ensures the safety of the system for the traveling public.  Congressman Simpson supported all of these bills.

Federal Legislation Delivers Big Wins for Idaho Agriculture

By Congressman Mike Simpson

“Idaho’s history of agriculture excellence is critical to our economy, accounting for 20% the state’s gross state product. With over 25,000 farms and ranches and 185 different commodities, it isn’t just Idaho that we are feeding – it is the world.

“No doubt that ideal climate conditions, irrigation systems, and generations of family farmers are responsible for this agriculture dominance. However, the state also needs cutting edge research and fair cooperation on reasonable rules and regulations for farmers and ranchers to succeed. The recently passed appropriations bill for fiscal year 2018 included big wins for Idaho agriculture. I was proud to champion many of these efforts so Idaho can continue to lead in agriculture production.   

“We don’t have to look any farther than our license plates to know the potatoes are world famous. The key to continuing this tradition is ensuring adequate funding for research that protects Idaho crops from disease. Included in the agriculture section of the appropriations bill is targeted funding to accomplish just that. Specifically, there is increased funding for potato breeding research, plus additional money for a geneticist that accelerates the process for finding resistant potato varieties to combat some of the worst diseases that threaten not only annual harvests, but trade access with global partners.

“The bill also contains money for advancing wheat research that will assist farmers in updating the falling numbers test that has cost growers millions of dollars in discounts. The research will help us better understand the various causes of low falling numbers and how it impacts end-use products that almost every Idaho consumer buys at the grocery store.

“The livestock industry is also well represented through a vitally important bipartisan provision that exempts ranchers and dairy farmers from EPA reporting requirements. The provision clarifies that Congress did not intend for a law aimed at regulating toxic waste and superfund sites, to apply to agriculture operations. The bill also recognizes challenges livestock farmers and ranchers face through money to compensate losses due to livestock killed by wolves.

“Idaho’s dairy farmers also benefit from this bill through language that directs the FDA to develop a standard identity for dairy based products. The language is a good first step to solving the recent surge in mislabeled imitation products and compliments legislation I support known as the DAIRY Pride Act, which also has the backing of Idaho Senators Risch and Crapo.

“This is just a snapshot of the benefits to Idaho, but these provisions are important and helpful to Idaho’s agriculture future.”

In the News

Northwest high-voltage transmission lines OK'd by officials

By: Keith Ridler, The Associated Press, April 18, 2018

BOISE, Idaho — U.S. officials on Wednesday approved two high-voltage transmission line routes in southwestern Idaho aimed at modernizing and improving reliability of the Pacific Northwest’s energy grid.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s approval is for the two final segments of the Gateway West project proposed a decade ago by the Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power utilities.

The transmission lines “will help power the American West for years to come,” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said in a statement.

The 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) project is one side of a triangle of transmission lines supporters have said are needed to meet future regional electricity demand and improve the system’s reliability.

Federal officials already approved other segments and work has been completed on three, said Dave Eskelsen, spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power. Work on the section approved Wednesday is tentatively set to begin in 2020 and be completed in 2024.

“This is a major step, of course, but there’s still a lot more work to be done,” he said.

Approval of the Idaho segments was delayed by landowners who did not want transmission lines on their property and environmentalists who did not want lines in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, which is protected by federal environmental restrictions.

U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, working with conservation groups, in 2017 helped pass through Congress a change in the boundary of the conservation area that allowed the transmission lines to go through. It was signed into law in May by President Donald Trump.

“This Idaho solution is good for the economy, conservation, and ratepayers who will benefit from lower rates and transmission reliability,” Simpson said.

The legislation means that about 300 miles (482 kilometers) of transmission lines will cross over what used to be designated national conservation area. But the deal also increased the size of the conservation area, which experts say has the greatest concentration of nesting eagles, falcons and hawks in North America, with 3.5 square miles (9 square kilometers) of key habitat.

The conservation area has prime nesting habitat for the birds in a deep canyon formed by the Snake River. They hunt ground squirrels and other wildlife in the surrounding sage brush steppe plains.

Officials describe the 500-kilovolt transmission lines as a freeway for energy that can travel in both directions and exit along the way to feed customer demand.

“The additional transmission capacity is going to allow for increased accessibility to the most efficient energy sources,” said Idaho Power spokeswoman Stephanie McCurdy.

Idaho Power has about 534,000 customers in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon. Rocky Mountain Power has about 1.8 million customers in Oregon, Washington, Northern California, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the Interior Department, had been working on Gateway West since 2008, trying to thread the transmission lines through a mixture of private, state and public lands that include key habitat for sage grouse, a chicken-sized ground dwelling bird that has been considered for federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.

Approving the routes “advances a common-sense solution between federal, state, and local representatives to best provide for Idaho’s energy needs and promote the region’s energy infrastructure moving forward,” said U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho.

The land management bureau over the last decade conducted extensive environmental analysis of the project’s impact that required public involvement before reaching Wednesday’s conclusion.

The process ended with the Interior Department’s assistant secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Joe Balash, signing a document authorizing the bureau to offer rights of way for the transmission lines to Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power.

To share comments, opinions, or questions with Congressman Simpson, please visit http://www.house.gov/simpson/emailme.shtml.

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