Untitled Document

2008 State of the State/Budget Address

2008 State of the State Address, continued
I particularly want to recognize a former member of the Idaho House of Representatives now leading an effort that will be critical in setting the course for Idaho’s economic future.
Paul Kjellander agreed to leave his chairmanship of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to become administrator of the new Office of Energy Resources.

By creating this Cabinet-level position we are bringing greater focus to energy issues, putting them on a par with those involving our other resources, like water and land.
I’m grateful for Paul’s knowledge, leadership and hard work.

He’s building dynamic, innovative partnerships for energy development, generation, transmission and conservation.

A couple of other important personnel changes marked the past year.

The retirement of Justices Gerald Schroeder and Linda Copple Trout provided me with the rare honor of appointing two members to the Idaho Supreme Court.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Justice Warren Jones and Justice Joel Horton.

Some of the most important changes in the past year actually involve how we are working for the people of Idaho.

My administration is committed to operating as a single entity rather than as a group of loosely associated agencies.

My Cabinet members are working more cooperatively and with greater common purpose for the people we serve.

And the benefits are tangible.

Among many examples, Cal Groen at Fish and Game is working with George Bacon at the Department of Lands and Celia Gould at the Department of Agriculture on improving wildlife habitat.

Bill Shawver at Homeland Security is working with Jerry Russell at the Idaho State Police on a seamless emergency communications system throughout Idaho.

And both agencies are working with Jeff Anderson at the Idaho Lottery on improving our Amber Alert system.

Greater cooperation also is paying dividends in terms of our relationship with Idaho’s Indian tribes.

With the help of Senator Mike Jorgenson I will be presenting you with four landmark agreements on the collection of fuel tax on Idaho reservations.

A lot of credit goes to the leaders of the Coeur d’Alene, Shoshone-Bannock, Nez Perce and Kootenai tribes.

I realize that some people would have liked a different outcome.

But those agreements bring us certainty, and they are the result of good-faith negotiations based on a shared interest in what’s best for Idaho.

The same motive is behind the decision to have Department of Environmental Quality Director Toni Hardesty conduct an inventory and develop a strategy for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

For starters, we’re moving forward with plans to require all state vehicle purchases to be low-emission and – where possible – “flex fuel” or hybrids

Toni also is working with Paul Kjellander, Agriculture Director Celia Gould and others toward having 25 percent of Idaho’s energy come from renewable resources by 2025.

And with Toni’s leadership, Idaho became the 38th state to join The Climate Registry. We are committed to addressing the public’s concern with such challenges as shifting weather patterns, more serious wildfire threats and drought.

Speaking of drought, we all saw in 2007 how a string of dry years can turn into a terrible fire season.

Our state emergency funds were made available to hard-hit counties that needed everything from wildfire suppression to structure protection and help with evacuees.

In all, the wildfires of 2007 cost state taxpayers more than $23 million.

Beyond the dollars and cents, the wildfires highlighted the great work of our firefighters throughout Idaho. Please join me in extending the thanks of a grateful state to all the hard-working men and women who protect our property and our lives.

Drought also depleted our carryover storage and continued worsening our water supply situation in 2007, especially in the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer.

Addressing that challenge has come too slowly, and in some cases the interests are still dug in. But getting beyond the fruitless cycle of legal conflicts and dividing up scarcity remains a high priority for my administration – as I’m sure it is for you.

That’s why I’m proposing that we allocate $20 million for conducting in-depth studies and developing scientific models of every aquifer in Idaho – south and north.
We simply must not repeat the problems we are seeing along the Snake River.
But that’s a long-term project.

In the nearer term, I recently proposed a series of water conservation measures in the Magic Valley aimed at improving the efficiency and effective use of our water.

They are not the answer to our water challenges. But they are an example of what motivated individuals and groups can do to move us off dead center.

Doing nothing hasn’t worked. The problem isn’t solving itself.

So as I always say: Anyone and everyone with better or different ideas should bring them forward.

Let’s talk about them, and then let’s act.

That kind of can-do attitude helped the Treasure Valley realize one of our shared goals last year – expanding community college opportunities for Idaho students.

A two-thirds supermajority of voters in Ada and Canyon counties created a community college district in May. And now the College of Western Idaho will open for business in the fall.

Thank you for providing the seed money, the guidance and the leadership needed for this project to bear fruit. It’s been a tremendous success so far, with a real sense of community buy-in and ownership.

And the best is yet to come.

I recommend that we continue our startup financial commitment of $5 million for the foreseeable future, as reflected in my budget.

I also will be proposing that we double the amount of funding allocated to community colleges from state liquor sales.

The College of Southern Idaho and North Idaho College now get $150,000 a year. My plan calls for CSI, NIC and the College of Western Idaho each to get $200,000 – for a total of $600,000.

That’s a wise investment that will pay off in the years ahead with more affordable educational choices and trained workers.

That’s particularly important in rural Idaho, where job training and economic opportunities can be difficult to find or afford.

The need for those opportunities is among the many lessons reinforced by my monthly Capital for a Day events in 2007.

We went from Bonners Ferry to Glenns Ferry, from Soda Springs to Salmon and from Kimberly to Kooskia.

Members of my Cabinet, administrators and decision-makers from throughout state government joined the First Lady and me in 12 different communities during the past year.
We’ve been greeted warmly, and people always welcome the chance to be heard directly.
Thanks to those of you who’ve joined us.

We get as much or more out of Capital for a Day as the folks with whom we meet – important insights on their everyday challenges and homegrown solutions.

I look forward to continuing the program throughout 2008 and as long as I’m privileged to be your Governor. After all, people shouldn’t have to travel to Boise to have a voice in their state government.

One of the recurring themes I’ve heard in rural Idaho and all over the state is the threat that methamphetamines pose to today’s youth and to our future.

Rural Idaho is where the impact of meth is felt most dramatically, in damaged and lost opportunities and lives.

There are horrible costs associated with meth, for individuals and families as well as for local and state government.

Even if you and your family somehow have escaped being directly effected by this scourge, you are paying a high price – in tax dollars and the safety of your community.

That’s why I’m pleased to announce that after a year of raising awareness and money, the Idaho Meth Project is launching its statewide media campaign today!

You’re going to see disturbing and even shocking images of what meth does to people. These public service spots don’t sugar-coat it, because it’s just that ugly. And Idahoans need to see and hear the truth about this drug.

That’s why – also starting today – the Idaho Lottery will be carrying a new public service message as part of the unique marketing program it recently launched.

The Idaho Meth Project’s “Not Even Once” theme makes a great addition to messages now featured on hundreds of thousands of Idaho Lottery tickets sold each week throughout the state.

I also am asking you to appropriate $1 million in tobacco settlement money from the Millennium Fund to join our private, corporate and public partners in supporting the Idaho Meth Project.

I’m confident the campaign will make a big difference – as it has in Montana – toward addressing this 21st century plague.

But it’s not our only avenue of attack on the meth problem.

Debbie Field and the Office of Drug Policy are making great strides in marshaling our resources for this challenge.

They’ve created the Interagency Committee on Substance Abuse to more efficiently use what we have and identify what we need.

And they are implementing one of the nation’s first uniform statewide assessment tools for substance abuse and mental health.

Finding cost-effective and responsible ways to treat substance abuse is one of our biggest health-care challenges.

Last summer I brought together a group of health-care stakeholders to discuss all those issues.

The resulting recommendations were turned over to a small but influential group of experts from government and the private sector.

That committee now is taking the initial ideas to the people, building public-private partnerships, and working with the Legislature, government agencies and anyone else who’s engaged in the issue.

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