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Senate committee hears gubernatorial nominees for Idaho Board of Environmental Quality
Summary
The Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee heard from two gubernatorial nominees for the Board of Environmental Quality — Lance Boylan of Kellogg and Dennis Lecombe of Idaho Falls — and deferred formal votes to a later date.
The Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee on an unnamed date heard brief confirmation presentations from two gubernatorial nominees for the Idaho Board of Environmental Quality and said it will schedule votes on their appointments at a future meeting.
Lance Boylan of Kellogg, nominated to a term on the Board of Environmental Quality commencing Dec. 1, 2024 and expiring July 1, 2028, described more than a decade of work in environmental engineering and reclamation. “It’s long been a dream of mine to serve this great state in any capacity where I can do so competently,” Boylan said, outlining experience that includes water-treatment design, mine-tailings closure and management of hazardous-waste reporting and permitting.
The committee later heard from Dennis Lecombe of Idaho Falls, who said he holds a master’s degree in geology, is a registered geologist in Idaho and California and has worked more than 20 years in environmental management. Lecombe said Idaho’s regulatory climate is “a system of collaboration that both protects the environment and allows businesses to thrive.”
Both nominees described priorities they would bring to the board if confirmed. Boylan emphasized reviewing proposed rules and permits for alignment with statute and clarity for regulated parties. He noted work across several states and in the Yukon Territory on large reclamation projects, water treatment and legacy mine closures. Lecombe said he would prioritize water conservation and fertilizer-use practices in agriculture, and favor permitting approaches that are science-based while providing operators flexibility.
Committee members asked each nominee about top environmental challenges in Idaho, balancing competing interests and any potential conflicts of interest. Boylan disclosed his employment with Hecla and said he disclosed that history for transparency. Lecombe described experience at Idahoan Foods and cited the Potato Sustainability Alliance as an example of producer-facing efforts on fertilizer benchmarking.
No formal committee vote on either appointment was taken during the hearing. The committee chair told both nominees that the committee would set a future date to vote on their appointments.
