Multistate fight on federal water rule exposes Idaho rift

By REBECCA BOONE
Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho’s attorney general has declined to join a 24-state lawsuit over a new federal water rule that opponents say could impact public and private land across the state. Now some Idaho officials are raising alarms over the decision. Instead, Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador’s office says Idaho will be joining another lawsuit filed in Texas, contending it’s a better fit for the state’s interests. The decision is unexpected. Idaho Governor Brad Little recently led the 24-state coalition of Republican governors in a letter to President Joe Biden opposing the new rule. And neither Little nor the leaders of relevant state agencies were notified by Labrador’s office that the group lawsuit was an option before it was filed.