The Idaho Mining Association’s payment for the use of a state-owned airplane that flew lawmakers and state officials over three Southeast Idaho phosphate mining sites on Sept. 11 has been criticized by some environmentalists and questioned by the Idaho Statesman, the state’s largest newspaper.
Jack Lyman, an IMA lobbyist who helped organize the flight, reimbursed $2,543 to the office of Lt. Gov. Brad Little, who arranged for the Idaho Transportation Department to provide a 10-seat, twin-engine King Air for the flyover.
In addition to Lyman and Little, other passengers included Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Warden, House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bade, and Clive Strong, a deputy attorney general who specializes in natural resource issues.
They toured the J.R. Simplot Co.’s Smoky Canyon Mine expansion, Monsanto’s proposed Blackfoot Bridge Mine site, and an Agrium site. Simplot and Agrium are planning two new open pit phosphate mines in the region. The plane landed in Afton, Wyo., near Smoky Canyon, then flew to Soda Springs, Idaho, before returning to Boise.
Monsanto and Simplot spokesmen declined to comment about the flyover when contacted by Green Markets, but one of them noted it was little different than when the Idaho Conservation League pays for legislators to take fact-finding raft trips down the Salmon River. An Agrium spokesman could not be reach for comment.
Stressing there was a legitimate public policy reason for the trip, Little defended it by noting that thousands of Southeast Idaho jobs are dependent on phosphate mining and processing. Using the plane also made it more convenient to learn about related issues, such as selenium contamination of waterways, he said.
Little noted his monthly travel budget is $400, and that having the IMA pay the bill saved taxpayers’ money. Lyman said use of the plane by state officials to tour Idaho mines is a legitimate use and would have been an appropriate expenditure of state funds. Because of that, he did not pursue hiring a private charter company.
Lyman said he offered to pay the cost if other state officials would accompany Little. Six of the passengers were elected officials and one was a state official, he said, noting Little had to return to Boise by 5:30 p.m. that day. The IMA has conducted many such tours in the past for legislators, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, and Land Board members and their staffs, he said.
“I think it’s important for these officials to see these activities first hand to gain the information they may need as they make decisions affecting the industry and the thousands of Idaho citizens the industry employs,” Lyman told Green Markets.
“Given the state’s budget situation, I understood the lieutenant governor’s reluctance to use his limited budget. This was a unique scheduling issue that had not arisen before, and one I don’t expect to arise again in the future.”
An Idaho Transportation Department spokesman said the flight did not violate policy allowing only state agencies to book the plane because it was reserved by Little’s office for government business. Its reservation and billing process was within the department’s operational guidelines, he said.
Justin Hayes of the Idaho Conservation League said if the ICL had the money it would have done the same as the IMA as long as the flight was legal. Marv Hoyt, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s Idaho director, however, sharply criticized the arrangement.
“From GYC’s perspective, this is a big deal. The issue is about appearances,” Hoyt told Green Markets, noting the IMA using a state plane to “ferry” Idaho officials and state employees around the phosphate mining region “smacks of cronyism and is a perfect example of the influence well-heeled mining lobbyists have over state officials.”
Hoyt added: “I’m sure there was little if any discussion during the flight and tours about the 160 miles of cutthroat trout streams that are poisoned by selenium released by phosphate mining, or the hundreds of head of livestock killed from selenium poisoning from mining.”
Bob Cooper, a spokesman for A.G. Warden’s office, said he did not anticipate the flight’s controversy because the state officials were invited by the IMA to learn more about the phosphate industry, which has a major economic impact, employs large numbers of people, and is the subject of significant regulations.
“It was not a big deal. What is surprising to me is the allegation there is something untoward here, particularly coming from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition,” Cooper said, emphasizing Warden has an open door policy and would be glad to meet any groups opposing the flight.
“We’ve never been contacted by any of these groups. In a sense, it looks like they’re more interested in stirring up controversy than they are in educating elected officials,” Cooper said, adding he found it bizarre that newspaper editorials also would find fault with the trip.
The Idaho Statesman editorialized the mine tour looked like a mix of state business and a lobbying effort bankrolled by special interests in an effort to curry support for projects such as Monsanto’s proposed mine. It voiced concern that Warden’s endorsement of the tour could encourage other groups to follow suit and such arrangements could become standard practice.
“We aren’t naive. We understand that special interest groups will spend money to lobby elected officials. As long as this lobbying is transparent, we wouldn’t object to the industry paying state officials’ air fare or arranging a charter plane. So was the mine tour fish or fowl? It’s impossible to tell. That’s the problem.”