This is the seventh installment in a nine-part collaborative series by the Lewiston Tribune, Idaho Falls Post Register and Idaho Statesman examining the role and function of committee chairmen in the Idaho Legislature.
Sunday: An interview with Sen. Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, chairman of the Senate Education Committee.
IDAHO FALLS - When Idaho House Speaker Scott Bedke was looking for someone to replace Rep. Dell Raybould as chairman of the House Environment, Energy and Technology Committee, he wanted a lawmaker with strong links to the nation's leading nuclear energy research facility - Idaho National Laboratory.
He found that person in Rep. Jeff Thompson, who represents western Bonneville County and has already served on the committee for two terms. In addition to serving a district that is home to many INL employees, Thompson serves on Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter's Leadership in Nuclear Energy Commission, as well as the National Council of State Legislatures' Nuclear Legislative Working Group.
"Being from Idaho Falls, it's a natural fit for him," Bedke said. "He has firsthand knowledge of the issues at INL."
Thompson said he was excited to be tapped, because energy is such an important issue.
"Everything we do, from education to business, we can't do it without energy," he said. "I think we forget that sometimes because we just take it for granted."
But this year Thompson sees few major bills headed for his new committee.
"Nothing has come out that would be a major bill this year (for the Energy Committee), so that's why I'm thinking that it's a great opportunity to do a lot of education," he said.
The Energy Committee also exercises oversight on the Department of Environmental Quality's rulemaking process. But he said few of the rules before the committee this year are noteworthy.
"Our rules this session are very minute," he said.
His plan, he said, is to educate the newer members of the committee on energy and technological issues by bringing in experts to speak to the group. He hopes to bring in speakers from INL as well as the state's three major electrical providers.
Thompson said he hopes to work with the Idaho Technology Council to help promote the growth of high-tech industries in the state.
Thompson, who also serves on the House Business Committee, said the influence of environmental and energy regulations on business should always be taken into account.
"A lot of the rules have a lot to do with businesses," he said.
Thompson has pledged to work to build compromise bills in the committee. He said the committee should work to make bills "palatable" to the committee and the broader House, rather than killing bills that won't get support as written.
"I don't think that we're there to throw bills in the trash," he said. "I don't envision putting a bill in my trunk and coming back to Idaho Falls."
He also promised to work with committee members from across the aisle, including Democratic House Minority Leader John Rusche of Lewiston.
"That's one of the things I pride myself on; I talk to everybody," he said. "As a chairman, that's what I would want - for people to feel comfortable coming up and talking to me."
Jeff Thompson
District: Thompson holds the District 30A seat, which represents western Bonneville County. It includes the area surrounding Idaho Falls, but not most of the city itself. It’s an area with a mix of intensive agriculture and small bedroom subdivisions that house workers for the Idaho National Laboratory.
History: Thompson, 51, was first elected in 2008.
Committee: Thompson will serve as chairman of House Environment, Energy and Technology. House Speaker Scott Bedke tapped Thompson for the post in December.
Duties: The Environment, Energy and Technology Committee oversees water quality, sewage, hazardous waste and recycling issues. It also exercises oversight over the Department of Environmental Quality’s rulemaking, with the power to recommend that the Legislature reject proposed administrative rules.
