Environment

HJM 13 is a joint memorial from the Idaho Legislature requesting federal agencies to align their enforcement of the Clean Water Act with the Supreme Court's 2023 Sackett decision. It asks the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to stop claiming jurisdiction over intermittent streams, ditches, canals, and stockwater ponds - features not considered "waters of the United States" under the Court's ruling. The memorial urges agencies to update policies, training, and guidance to reflect this standard, which requires a continuous surface connection to traditional water bodies like rivers or lakes. This addresses concerns that current federal overreach increases costs and delays for Idaho landowners, farmers, and infrastructure projects. The request is directed at federal agencies and Idaho's congressional delegation, not a binding law.

H 737 merges Idaho's Office of Species Conservation and Office of Energy and Mineral Resources into a single "Office of Species, Minerals, and Energy Coordination" to streamline natural resource management. The new office, led by a governor-appointed administrator, will coordinate state and federal permitting for projects involving species conservation, energy development, and mineral resources, aiming to reduce regulatory burden and improve decision-making timelines. The bill updates multiple Idaho Code sections to establish this office, define key terms like "species" and "mineral," and clarify its role as the state's primary liaison to federal agencies. This consolidation does not create new regulations or approval layers but integrates existing state functions under one administrative structure.