Koochiching County commissioners are expected to send a letter to the area’s congressional delegation supporting legislation that would put on hold rules that could cost the nation’s forest industry $5 billion.

Boise Paper Public Affairs Manager Bob Anderson met with commissioners this week seeking support to put on hold for at least 15 months EPA rules that would set emission limits for industrial boilers.

The rules are also expected to cost at least $14 billion for general manufacturing, as well as universities, small municipal power plants, biomass power plans, hospitals and government facilities.

The county board’s letter will urge Congress to “reissue the rules in a manner that ensures achievability across the range of fuels and operating conditions and using the least burdensome approach to protect jobs, health and environment.”

According to a letter sent to the board by Bert Brown, Boise mill manager, the EPA agreed to a stay and to reconsider part of the rules. However, legislation is needed that will give EPA and businesses such as Boise Inc. more time “to do what is best for the environment and jobs in this country.”

According to Brown’s letter, bipartisan legislation has been introduced into the U.S. House and Senate that will: stay the rules for at least 15 months to give EPA time to rewrite the rules; provide additional time for facilities to comply once the rules are finalized “so we can plan for the significant capital investments that will be required”; direct that EPA to reissue the rules in a manner that ensures achievability across a range of fuels and operating conditions; and correct the non-hazardous secondary materials rule to clearly define fuels that are traditionally used in boilers, such as carbon-neutral, renewable biomass residuals.

Brown’s letter noted that 22 U.S. senators are co-sponsors of the bill, but Sen. Al Franken and Sen. Amy Klobuchar have yet to endorse the measure.

“Global competitors continue to have access to low-cost resources while we face potential complex regulatory requirements and increasing energy, chemicals and fiber costs,” Brown said in the letter. “We need achievable and affordable legislation and encourage the county board to contact Sen. Franken and Sen. Klobuchar by phone, email, in-person or letter during this August recess asking for them to co-sponsor Senate File 1392.”

According to the American Forest & Paper Association, the rules were published by the EPA, despite knowing that flaws were included, to meet a court-ordered deadline. In addition, it says that the Sierra Club has challenged the EPA to make the rules even more stringent during administrative reconsideration. The Sierra Club has a pending case before the court asking for EPA’s administrative stay to be overturned; last December the court rejected EPA’s request for an additional 15 months based on the club’s petition.

Also this week, the board rejected bids received for blasting and crushing of rock at a foreign trade zone jointly owned by the county and International Falls.

The action was taken due to the high cost of the bids, the lowest of which came in 35 percent higher than the engineer’s estimated. The bids ranged from a low of $924,600 to high of $2.23 million. According to the Highway Department staff, the difference in the estimate and the bids is due to the high cost in blasting rock in shallow areas.

The board motion to reject the bids encouraged the Koochiching Economic Development Authority, which manages the FTZ and includes city and county members, to consider other options for development of the FTZ site.

In other county business this week, the board adopted a resolution naming the Falls International Airport and field in honor of Francis Einarson and his family. A similar resolution was adopted by the International Falls City Council, which co-owns the airport with the county.

The resolution points out that Francis and his brother Jim purchased the airport operations in 1948, the year after it opened and for the next 63 years the Einarson family has operated the airport. During that time Francis oversaw runway, terminal, equipment and service improvements to the benefit of the entire Borderland Community. In addition, it notes that n 1968 Francis pioneered air ambulance service impacting many lives.

The board also heard from Community Service Director Terry Murray on the Arrowhead Regional Suicide Prevention Program which has refocused to target teens and young adults.

According to Murray, the program will increase access and use of information and resources by updating infrastructure to include text-messaging and Facebook. The Minnesota Department of Health statistics from 2000 to 2005 indicated that seven northern counties within Minnesota, known as the Arrowhead Region, had the highest suicide rates.