Feb. 6—GRANGEVILLE — Three elected officials from Idaho County will head to Washington, D.C., this week to represent the Idaho Association of Counties during the National Association of Counties conference.

Commissioners Skip Brandt and Denis Duman, along with Clerk Kathy Ackerman, will take part in discussions about public policy that directly affects Idaho’s 44 counties.

Brandt, who was recently elected as the Western Interstate Region representative to the national organization, said it is the first time three officials from the same county have spoken on behalf of all of Idaho’s counties. The trip will be paid for by the Idaho Association of Counties.

“This is an opportunity to team up with elected county officials from other states,” Brandt said. Issues that he will be focused on include the Secure Rural Schools legislation, payment in lieu of taxes payments — both of which are integral to Idaho County’s financial stability — solar and wind projects on federal lands, Forest Plan revisions, the Farm Bill and the Good Neighbor Authority, among others.

Both Brandt and Duman, who is president of the Idaho Association of Counties Commissioners and Clerks group, expressed interest in attending discussions about a controversial proposal to convert some high desert in southern Idaho into a green energy landscape for windmills and solar collectors.

A wind energy farm that would erect 400 wind turbines and span nearly 200,000 acres in the Magic Valley has been proposed. Although projects such as this wind farm are seen as essential in tackling climate change, environmentalists have also questioned the role public lands should play in transitioning to clean energy.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has said that he opposes the project, maintaining it would disturb waterways, private land in surrounding cities, farmers and hunters.

“The big pressure has been for sage grouse habitat,” Brandt said. “But now, because it’s green energy, they can litter the landscape with solar panels and windmills and are permitted to kill up to 1,000 eagles a year.”

Duman said another of his interests at the national meeting will be conversations regarding emergency medical services, “and try to get a better feel for what’s going on nationally with that. In the next year or two the state of Idaho is going to be looking at the possibility of that being a function of county government. So we need to see what’s going on nationally to see how (other counties) are doing it.”

Ackerman serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Counties. That group will be covering a wide range of policy issues including a subcommittee to look at election workers’ security.

“This time there is some discussion on the elections front about what would safeguard election workers,” Ackerman said. “It has been reported in these meetings there have been serious threats against election workers and we have an interest in putting forth some sort of federal legislation that would offer protection. I would anticipate seeing that move forward in this session.”

Other topics of discussion will include elections administration and issues such as cybersecurity, she added.

“Those are the primary things I will be representing Idaho on the NACo board,” Ackerman said.

“One thing I have found (in the past), rarely are things decided at these meetings,” she said. “But there are lots of ideas generated and soft support for moving things along in the form of a resolution.”

Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.