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Noxious‑weed petitions split; department drops Palmer amaranth and myrtle spurge proposals but reclassifies Turkish thistle
Summary
After public negotiation, the department did not add Palmer amaranth or myrtle spurge to Idaho’s noxious‑weed lists but moved Turkish thistle from early detection/rapid response to a controlled category because it is more widespread than previously thought.
BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Agriculture presented negotiated rulemaking records on listing petitions for noxious weeds and recommended reclassifying Turkish thistle from Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) to a control category; petitions to list Palmer amaranth and myrtle spurge did not reach consensus and were not advanced in the proposed rule.
Andrea Thompson, administrator for the Plant Industries Division, told the committee the department received two listing petitions (for Palmer amaranth and myrtle spurge) and held public meetings with robust attendance from county weed districts, seed industry representatives, petitioners and members of the public on July 10 and July 29. Thompson said the meetings generated lively discussion but no consensus in favor of adding those species and therefore they were not proposed in the rule before the committee.
Thompson also noted a ‘‘missed edit’’ from the 2023 rulemaking regarding early detection/rapid response and explained the department corrected that definition. The primary substantive change in the current docket was reducing the categorization of Turkish thistle from EDRR to a controlled category because recent findings indicate it is more widely distributed than previously believed; public comments on that change were supportive or neutral, the agency said.
Chair members approved the docket (020609-2402) on voice vote.
