December 6, 1995
Wood River Valley OPINION
Don't play favorites with state owned land leases

Will the State Land Board have to be taken to court to uphold Idaho's Constitution? That question will be decided next Monday when the board meets to decide whether the Idaho Watersheds Project is qualified to bid on state land leases. Last winter the Idaho Legislature passed Senate Bill 1194, which severely limited who could bid on two million acres of state land leases. Rather than awarding a lease to the highest bidder, lawmakers decided to give ranchers special preference. In so doing, these elected officials did a masterful job of obscuring the real issue at hand. While our elected leaders talked of preserving Idaho rural heritage and the economic stability of the ranching industry rhetoric was hollow.

We listened to a debate in which the people who control the purse strings on state spending said the 60 cents per acre that Idaho receives from ranchers is adequate and any change could endanger rural economics. The bill was signed into law in spite of ldaho's Constitution which says state-owned land will be managed for the maximum monetary return to the public school endowment fund. By giving preference to ranchers in awarding state land leases, the legislature granted public lands ranchers a hefty subsidy, financed by the school children of Idaho. Rather than encourage competitive bidding, the new law, in effect, allows these ranchers to set their own rate for the use of public lands.

The hypocrisy of SB 1194 has not gone unnoticed. The Idaho Watersheds Project intends to go before the State Land Board next week, seeking the right to bid on state land leases. If Idaho Watersheds is deemed qualified, the group intends to bid on 17 land leases that are up for renewal. Jon Marvel of Idaho Watersheds said the group is willing to bid substantial sums to win the leases and make additional contributions to the endowment fund above and beyond what is required by law. We're not holding our breath for that to happen. The State Land Board has shown little interest in maximizing the return to the endowment fund and has denied previous attempts by the Idaho Watersheds Project to win state land leases.

Nevertheless, we remain optimistic. By making its application, Idaho Watersheds will force the State Land Board to issue a decision on the group's ability to bid on leases. If the board rejects the application, and the promise of additional dollars for the endowment fund, it does so in violation of the State Constitution. The State Supreme Court will then be called upon to settle the dispute.

According to the Idaho Department of Agriculture, only 20 percent of livestock producers in ldaho have access to state or federal land leases. A full 80 percent of ranchers must make ends meet without the state subsidy. It's beyond us why the legislature saw the need to pass special legislation protecting this small group at the expense of ldaho's school children and the majority of the livestock industry. Politics and ranching have always been intertwined in Idaho. Fortunately for the school endowment fund, the Idaho Constitution doesn't recognize this cozy relationship. -DJG