DEQ regional chief to retire
By Cindy Snyder, Ag Weekly correspondent
Friday, April 11, 2008 3:29 PM CDT
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| Doug Howard |
TWIN FALLS, Idaho - The person most often associated with environmental efforts in south-central Idaho is retiring.
Doug Howard has served as the regional administrator for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality in Twin Falls since 1996. His tenure has included many thorny environmental problems in south-central Idaho, but Howard’s ability to build partnerships and find middle ground helped improve the environment within the Magic Valley.
Brian Olmstead served on a basin advisory group for many years and had a chance to work with DEQ in both Twin Falls and other regions.
“It’s been my observation that this region seems to run much more smoothly, that the partnerships here are much stronger,” he said.
Olmstead was named general manager of the Twin Falls Canal Co. in March after heading up the TFCC water quality efforts for eight years.
He traveled to western Idaho to participate in discussions when the Hells Canyon pollution loading plan was being written.
“Everyone seemed to be paddling a different direction. There was either a lack of participation by groups or the groups couldn’t agree,” he said. “But in the Mid-Snake, it seems like everyone is paddling in the same direction. That’s just a sign of Doug’s leadership, that doesn’t happen by accident.”
Randy MacMillan echoes those observations. MacMillan leads the research department at Clear Springs Food in Buhl and is also vice president of the DEQ board.
“Doug has a gift for smoothing ruffled feathers,” MacMillan said. “He is very talented at getting people of diverse interests to discuss various environmental issues.”
One of those difficult issues was developing a new pollution-loading plan that apportioned phosphorus waste loads among the different aquaculture facilities and processors in the Mid-Snake River. Any time a group must divide a limited resource amongst themselves, you have a formula for failure, MacMillan said. But with DEQ’s help and Howard’s leadership, the task was eventually completed.
One of the challenges Howard faced as regional administrator was breaking down complex regulations to a step-by-step process that businesses and agricultural producers could follow to make changes that benefit the environment. He uses the phosphorus allocation for aquaculture as an example.
“There are eighty some aquaculture facilities ranging from great big companies to mom-and-pop facilities, but they’ve all got to have a discharge permit,” Howard explained.
Developing a program that recognizes those differences yet meets the target of reducing phosphorus in the Snake River takes time.
Over the years, Howard has seen the general public come to appreciate the environment and how special it is. Idahoans tend to take clean air for granted, but people moving in from other parts of the country recognize how special clean air is, he said.
“There are so many issues on the environmental side that affect our quality of life, you see it all around you,” Howard said. “When you can be part of that and help the process of improving the environment, that’s very rewarding.”
Serving on the Sage Grouse Local Working Group as well as being past chairman of the Twin Falls Highway District and a member of the Idaho Traffic Safety Commission have also allowed him to improve the region in other ways.
Spending more time volunteering for local organizations is a high priority for Howard during his retirement.
Howard was born in Weiser and moved to Twin Falls in the first grade. He earned a bachelor’s of science in civil engineering at the University of Idaho and served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force before joining a private engineering firm.
He later started his own consulting business that specialized in hydropower development, and served as county engineer for both Twin Falls and Jerome counties. He was also director of Planning and Zoning for Twin Falls County. He received is master’s degree in business administration from Idaho State University in 1996.
That background as a consulting engineer prepared him to work with the technical specialists and other engineers at DEQ, Howard jokes.
Howard was appointed regional administrator for DEQ by Governor Phil Batt in 1996 and has been reappointed by subsequent governors.
He and his wife, MaryLou, have four children and three grandchildren.
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