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Idaho Senate Ag Committee Reviews Soil and Water Commission FY24 Report; Two Reappointments Deferred
Summary
The Senate Agricultural Committee heard the Idaho State Soil and Water Conservation Commission's fiscal year 2024 performance report, discussed funding and staffing needs for key programs including WACPA and CREP, and postponed votes on two gubernatorial reappointments to a future meeting.
The Idaho Senate Agricultural Committee on Tuesday heard a fiscal year 2024 report from the Idaho State Soil and Water Conservation Commission and considered two gubernatorial reappointments to the commission, but lawmakers did not vote on the appointments and will take them up at a subsequent meeting.
Commission administrator Delwyn Trefts presented the commission’s annual performance and fiscal report, saying commission revenues in FY24 came from the general fund, trustee/benefit fund interest receipts and a dedicated RCRDP loan fund, with total annual revenues of approximately $3,950,000 and expenditures just over $7,900,000. Trefts highlighted several program results and funding pressures and told the committee that staffing and funding remain the commission’s principal challenges.
The report showed the commission provided technical support for 49,705 acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and that the Resource Conservation and Rangeland Development Program (RCRDP) assisted financing conservation projects on about 8,221 privately owned acres. The commission said staff delivered about 11,986 hours of direct assistance to districts and logged an additional 2,771 hours assisting landowners participating in CREP. For fiscal 2024 the state appropriated $5 million to the water-quality program for agriculture (WACPA); 80 project proposals were submitted and 50 were selected for funding, and the commission reported that each state dollar invested in WACPA in FY24 helped leverage $3.54 in total project cost.
Trefts also described administrative details: the commission oversees a loan fund (RCRDP), administers CREP technical support for projects over the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, and is the designated agency for developing total maximum daily load (TMDL) implementation plans. He noted a field staff vacancy created when an employee was promoted and said filling that post is a current priority. Trefts also said the commission is tracking water savings and pollutant-load reductions more systematically and expects to provide annual metrics in coming reports.
Committee members pressed on two recurring themes: funding and staffing. Senator Cole asked whether the commission has measured the aggregate water saved through WACPA projects; Trefts said the commission has not historically compiled a year‑by‑year water‑savings total but is now working with CREP staff to assemble those figures and will provide them to the committee when available. Multiple senators — including Senator Taylor and Senator Leahy — thanked commission staff and stressed the difficulty of replacing long‑tenured staff; Trefts confirmed he intends to retire and characterized recruiting and retaining experienced staff as linked to funding.
The committee also heard short introductions from two people announced for gubernatorial reappointment to the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission: Eric Olson (reappointment, term commencing July 1, 2024, expiring July 1, 2029) and Karen Jakomowski Sharpenek (listed as reappointment, same term dates). Both described their backgrounds and said they would stand for questions. Karen Sharpenack (transcript spelling: Sharpenek/Sharpenack) disclosed that her husband works for the commission as a CREP manager and said she abstains from CREP‑related matters.
No formal roll‑call votes were taken on the reappointments during the meeting; the chair said the committee will take up the appointments and vote at its next meeting.
The commission report and the lawmakers’ questions made several recurring points: demand for WACPA funding continues to exceed available dollars; CREP remains an important tool for reducing consumptive irrigation use on the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer; and the commission depends on a mix of state general‑fund appropriations and dedicated funds to operate. Trefts thanked the committee for legislative support and said commission staff and local conservation districts are essential to voluntary, nonregulatory conservation work in Idaho.
Looking ahead, commission staff will continue to compile program metrics (water savings and pollutant‑load reductions) and the committee will consider the two reappointments at its next meeting.
