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Green issues dominate forum

by Judd Wilson Staff Writer
| October 3, 2018 1:00 AM

COEUR d’ALENE — Citizens grilled three Kootenai County Commission candidates on all issues environmental Tuesday night in downtown Coeur d’Alene.

The Kootenai Environmental Alliance forum at the Art Spirit Gallery gave Republican nominees Bill Brooks and Leslie Duncan, and Democratic nominee Ruben Miranda, the chance to speak out on protecting the aquifer, Lake Coeur d’Alene, shoreline erosion, and more.

The first of the questions submitted to the moderator dealt with forest fires. Though fires are not 100 percent preventable, Duncan said “maintaining healthy forests that won’t be completely decimated by fires” would be a realistic goal. She said that closing the forests off to people “is not a healthy solution.” To the contrary, she said that unmanaged forests suffer worse from forest fires than managed forests. Duncan said she favored more local involvement in boards that deal with forests.

Miranda pointed out that one of the biggest problems Kootenai County residents face from forest fires is from smoke coming in from Washington. “It is not good for a resort community in the middle of tourist season,” he said. Miranda called for working with other states, and getting studies done through FEMA or the EPA, to find out how to better prepare.

Brooks said forests “need to be managed in such a way as they infringe as little as possible on property owners’ rights, and have the maximum effect of protecting forests from decimating fires” such as the Great Fire of 1910.

One question probed into the future of a 50-year old gas pipeline that runs under the aquifer. Duncan, who chairs the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Protection District Policy and Budget Committee, said, “I will work with proper authorities to make sure it’s handled properly and the aquifer is protected.”

Miranda said the pipeline was a single-wall steel pipe installed in the 1950s as part of the Yellowstone pipeline project. He said if and when it leaks, we may not know it’s leaking until it has contaminated the aquifer. “When it comes to the aquifer there is no such thing as true remediation,” said Miranda. He suggested that regulations be used to prevent that.

Brooks said the issue shouldn’t cause a panic, but neither should it be avoided.

Regarding shoreline erosion, Miranda supported the idea of a 100- to 200-foot setback and said he was “thoroughly against conditional use permits allowing people to build within the 25-foot area because it does tremendous damage to our waterways.”

Brooks and Duncan asked if the 25-foot setback ordinance was being enforced, and were open to evidence that it should be increased. However, Duncan added that while she was concerned about runoff into the lake, she was also concerned about property owners being able to enjoy their property. She suggested the needs of the lake and property owners be balanced “through education and working with property and home owners.”

The candidates each pushed back on shoreline erosion caused by wakeboarding. Brooks said he was grateful for tourism in local waters and said his advice to visitors is to “Enjoy it, but don’t wreck it.” He called for the 200-foot no-wake zone to be “aggressively enforced but not in a draconian way.”

Duncan said she has spoken with many lake property owners who experience shoreline erosion from the continuous waves. She suggested buoys that signal the no-wake zone could help, for those property owners who requested them.

Miranda said wake boats should be restricted to areas in Lake Coeur d’Alene that would not result in such devastation to the shoreline. He also said the no-wake zone must be enforced.

One of the questions sounded out the candidates’ beliefs on climate change.

Climate change is not something that he could do a lot about as a commissioner, said Miranda. However, “we just can’t stick our head in the sand,” he said.

Brooks said “there’s no doubt there’s climate change,” but questioned how much of it was man-made and questioned the so-called consensus on the issue. “At our peril we use consensus to determine science,” Brooks said, pointing to the consensus on a flat earth centuries ago. ”Science is not a matter of what a majority of people think, but of proven facts.”

Duncan agreed, saying that “consensus does not determine science.” However, “when science has a definite answer, we should come together as a community and figure out what’s going to be best,” she added.

Also, toward the end of the forum, someone asked a question linking environmental quality, septic tanks, and the county’s building code opt-out provision.

Brooks cited his experience in rural Alaskan communities where he would have to convince people to locate their wells far away from their septic tanks. “It sounds crazy, but it’s true,” Brooks said. Brooks said he wants building codes that are “sane, quicker, and easier to comply with.”

Duncan said she would make sure that agencies are involved when site permits are triggered. She has talked with Panhandle Health District and wants builders to understand their obligations regarding septic tanks. Duncan said partnership, rather than punitive fees, would benefit the environment.

“I’m excited when agencies come together and work with the community and don’t just slap regulations, fines, and heartache on people,” she said. “I want us to work together to cooperatively manage our environment and not do things detrimental to it.”

Miranda said re-establishing county building codes would solve the problem. The opt-out isn’t working, he said, citing Bonner County as evidence. “Reasonable good building codes make good communities.”

Duncan and Miranda are vying for the District 3 seat, while Brooks faces no Democratic opponent for the District 1 seat. The election takes place Nov. 6.