Idaho Governor Brad Little
Episode 16 Governor Brad Little—Main Street Idaho Podcast Season 3
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We take the podcast back on the road for a special episode with Governor Brad Little at the Idaho State Capitol. After widespread discussions and months of debate, Little sits down with our host, Brennan Summers, to discuss the newly completed water agreement for Idaho farmers. Now known as "Idaho Water Day", November 22nd will mark the historic union between sensible water rights and long-term mitigation plans.
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Welcome to the Idaho Main Street Podcast, where we talk about the issues that matter to you.
Welcome to the Idaho Main Street Podcast. We're here with the 33rd governor, the great state of Idaho, other than governor Brad little governor. How are you? Good. Good. Thanks for having me. Thanks for having us in your beautiful office here. No, we just, uh, are all, we're putting the state Christmas tree in today and, uh, getting in the season and we'll turn the lights on Tuesday.
Oh, perfect. Well, you're all ready. Oh, well, uh, the, the state capitol's ready. I'm not ready, but the state capitol's ready. Nick, real question. Does Teresa have her Christmas tree up yet? Uh, there was a conversation about that. As a matter of fact, uh, I think maybe. One of our sons perhaps bought multiple Christmas trees at a fundraiser.
And so I think we have multiple Christmas trees. They're going up. So I've got to ask when you go to these meetings with governors from all over the country, do you ever feel a little guilty hearing about all their problems and knowing how good we have it here in Idaho? Uh, that's a great question. Uh, I just once would like to have governors say, Oh, and I'm almost on the verge.
Don't come to our state. It's not, you know, when everybody says we're number one, I go, I don't think so. I think we are, but I'm not going to tell anybody. Yeah, keep it quiet. We got enough people moving in that, uh, it's, uh, and it's. It's kind of, but they really, there is great value in talking to other governors about we, we always, uh, take notes about what we can steal from other governors and that's part of the process, but it's a, it will be very interesting when we go in February.
To the national meeting about the huge changes in, uh, in cabinet positions and agencies. And, uh, it's kind of an exciting time. I was one of the only governors there that wasn't looking for a job. So, uh, a lot of governors looking for jobs, but I couldn't be happier about the interior with, uh, uh, Governor Burgum, who's a real good friend of mine and the things he's going to do for both, um, interior and also energy.
So, we're excited about that's going to. That's going to be great opportunities for Idaho. Yeah, a lot of your colleagues that got promotions, if that's what you want to consider it, you, I think, won out because you got to stay. You don't have to go live in D. C. There's a tentativeness that in two years, generally, if you just look at it statistically, the party in power on the op year historically doesn't do very well.
So, uh, the Trump administration, rightly so, is going to hit the ground. Running hard on the very first day, uh, I, I put out something this weekend. I know this is a record for having all the cabinet appointments determined by the 22nd. Uh, first time that's ever happened, so. Uh, they, they fully recognize that eight years ago, they didn't start fast enough, but they're like, that's not going to be a problem this time.
Yeah. I just wonder how those newsrooms keep their head straight when every five minutes it was another appointment coming through and everyone's heads were spinning. There was great, uh, uh, interest, uh, in, uh, You know, uh, in a lot of the cabinet appointments, so we, uh, we're the one appointment that they haven't made.
But I think it's going to be somebody that we know pretty well as who's in charge of intergovernmental affairs, because that's who we dialogue with at the White House. Uh, and, and the other thing that they, they're doing different, and Governor Burgum was telling me that the, uh, Energy EPA and Interior, that the designatees are, uh, vetting the deputy secretaries in the other departments.
So there'll be more harmony at that level, which is really a smart thing to do. Yeah. That's perfect. So speaking of great interest, something big's happening here. The Western adage that whiskey's for drinking and water's for fighting, uh, was a little too true this year, but the fighting's over. And it, I mean, this is a great opportunity to kind of celebrate the good stuff that's happening.
What's this experience been like this last year is you've led a state when Idahoans have faced the very real challenge and triumph of managing water in the state. Well, in 2015 and 16, when we put the last agreement together, uh, as time went on and we had some, uh, You got to remember, uh, we did that in 2015 and 16, but in 2017 we had record snowpack and record water.
So we all look great. Actually we should have been giving God credit for it because we had all that snow that lasted over two years. And, uh, now we've got a more normal, uh, water pattern and some years are wet and some years are dry, uh, but this agreement, uh, over four years is going to be, uh, a better, uh, a better scenario about how we manage water.
We want to, uh, we want to, uh, maintain and restore. Uh, the aquifer that, uh, so much of Idaho is dependent upon and I've got great confidence. I really want to give kudos to the, uh, to the Lieutenant Governor, Bedke, and to Jeff Raybold, who's chairman of the water board. They did a lot of work and, and Jamie in my office also.
But, uh, those three, uh, when I go to these water meetings. Uh, I would either go to the meeting or I'd call a lot of them, uh, when I saw him, uh, last week, it was, uh, I told you we'd get there, uh, but it's, uh, you know, other states, uh, uh, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, uh, Texas, California, uh, they have not done the heavy work that we've done, and everybody's going to be looking at how we manage water in Idaho.
Uh, there's only really two states in the West that manage what's under the ground with what's on top of the ground. Everybody's going to have to do that eventually, and they're going to look at our model, but it was, it was those farmers. rolling up their sleeves and getting together, uh, and coming up with a solution that is, is to be, uh, significantly praised for a resolution where, uh, Congress didn't intervene, a federal judge didn't intervene, which is what we worry about the most.
And we came up with a sustainable solution for Idaho. And it's going to be good for everybody. It's going to be good for irrigators. It's going to be good for agriculture. It's going to be good for everybody that's dependent upon water cities. Wildlife interests, uh, it, it was, uh, we were very pleased with it.
We did two things that don't happen very often in this political climate. Number one, uh, a comprehensive agreement. Then number two, you gave credit to other people in the process. How did you manage to get people, different sides of the states with competing interests that had a lot more in common than separated them to come together and to agree without digging in and just.
You know, Congress is a perfect example of what not to do in these situations. That's what you've just, whatever Congress does do the opposite. But, uh, it was. Uh, you know, it was, uh, the, the order, which, in fact, the courts told the department they had to do. It was, it was basically implementing, uh, the 2015 16 agreement, uh, but that was the triggering, uh, uh, event.
That got everybody together. We were pretty close in May at the water users, and then it kind of imploded, but what we would have had in May wasn't near as good as what we ended up with, uh, the end of November. And then I, I gave them a time frame, which they went over a little bit, but I, I, I'll tell you now, I didn't tell them I fully expected them to go over, but it kept enough heat on the fire for them to work together.
But, you know, it's really important for communities, for farmers, for food processors, uh, to have certainty going forward. Now they have certainty. And this was probably what I imagine. I mean, whether you admit it or not, a stressful time in the office because you, you're a I have a rich history of ag. It's how you fed your family.
It's how your parents and grandparents fed their families. You were elected with robust support of agriculture. And then you had a division of your friends and your family of agriculture and you had to figure out a way to get it together. My relatives, my, yeah, it was, it ended up being, uh, I've talked to a couple of the farmers that were very pivotal in the decision.
And one of them said, Oh, I knew we'd get there. I said, Well, a couple of times I didn't know whether we were going to get there or not. But it was, Uh, it, it was, it was really a good day for Idaho. And so to our listeners who've, you know, heard headlines here or there a little bit, what are you hoping the average Idahoan takes away from this process?
Well, the, uh, the, the best solution for Idaho, and it doesn't matter whether it's, uh, the administration of our precious water, uh, whether it's what we do on wildfires, what we do on other things, Uh, we can come up with a better solution than, uh, particularly a federal judge, particularly Congress and, and that's what happened.
Yeah. So Idaho solutions are the best solution. So you brought up interior before you just mentioned public lands. I think managing our aquifer and our water goes hand in hand with our public lands. When you look at an active fire year, when you look at what you have to be responsible for in a state that has Immense public lands is one of the reasons a lot of people choose to raise their families here.
What causes you heartburn when it comes to managing the lands or dealing with the federal managers in the state? I mean dealing with federal government is is always a little bit of a challenge and, uh, most people in the United States don't realize, uh, how big the federal estate is in the West, uh, and, and how we have to, uh, manage around.
And, and some of it's the laws, but a lot of it's the way the laws are interpreted by, you know, judicial decisions by rules. Uh, one of the things in the Western governors is that we all agree that we've got to do a better job of managing fires, particularly suppression early on. If, if we don't suppress these fires, uh, early on, uh, then, then we won't have the resources to do the fire management we needed to do in late August and September.
Uh, that's why when we had the fire at. Uh, in Stanley Basin near Redfish Lake. Uh, I was pretty adamant with the Forest Service. They need to put that fire out. They were inclined to say, well, we'll kind of manage it. I says, you let these fires get big in July, and then, and then it costs the federal government a fortune.
It's terrible for air quality for not only Idaho, but all the states downstream from us that get our smoke. And, you know, we do so many things for air quality. One of the things we can do is a better job of, uh, managing the forest. Our state lands, uh, you know, we, because we've, we have them managed, uh, and we jump on those fires right away.
And we're trying to encourage the federal government to look at the model that the states use in fire suppression and fire management. And when we look to solutions on federal land, uh, a great example pops up of, well, great. I might not be the right word. Uh, Lava Ridge wind project comes up. That's one that's been talked about over and over again, and probably a prime example of when they've looked at a federal solution rather than taking any Idaho consideration in mind.
You've been pretty vocal about your opposition to that. And it's because you've talked to stakeholders. What, what do you foresee happens with that project? Well, I mean, it's, uh, uh, it's, it's a good example. of what happens when, uh, somebody along the Potomac River tells people along the Snake River how to manage their resources.
And, uh, without getting input, without getting buy in, uh, you know, there, there are going to be wind projects that are going to go in the state of Idaho, but you don't do anything the magnitude of that, uh, surrounded by, uh, you know, whether it's, uh, it's the view shed, whether it's, uh, you know, obviously the hunt camp, Minidoka hunt camp was impacted.
Uh, there were a lot of things that were impacted, but it's just. You know, you do these things at the federal level without getting input. Uh, we wanted to send a message and fortunately we've got, uh, Congressman Simpson, we've got both senators, uh, that are helping with that going forward. So I, uh, there, there's a record of decision that you have to come.
Uh, but I am confident that, uh, but that still means we need to be on our toes until, um, We see the final outcome, but I'm, I've got pretty good confidence that the right thing will be done there. It was shocking to see how, uh, vocal the leaders of Idaho were and how it appeared as if they were being ignored at the department of interior.
How much confidence do you have in now that you have a new friend? It, uh, presumably, Oh, it'll be way better. Yeah. A direct line can help out there. It'll be way better. I love that. So, um, When you think about the day comes where Governor Little's not in office, 40, 50, 60 years down the road, there's a lot of things that the history books are probably gonna say, and I think there's some unique things that we can look at.
So you were a governor who made historic investments in education, which alone's impressive, but you did it at the same time with, by making historic tax cuts. As you talk to other governors in other states who have not managed to find a balance between those two types of things, What makes Idaho so unique in that we can cut taxes while still making necessary investments?
Well, I think a lot of it is just in the DNA of Idahoans. You know, you ask a hundred Idahoans, do they think Uh, you should spend money you don't have. You should, uh, uh, if you've got, uh, you know, good surpluses like we did, uh, that you invest in, in water, you invest in roads, you invest, and then you don't build the size of government to where, uh, where you're in a trap when things normalize.
Uh, and I know some of my fellow governors, uh, saw that federal money and, and, uh, you Build up government programs, and we didn't, and I tell people all the time, I don't know what's going to happen to the international economy, the national economy, even the regional economy, but you're going to be better off in Idaho than you are in any other state, just because we do what's, um, In the DNA of Idaho and you just don't take that easy money and build a program and then not be able to pay for it when things normalize.
Yeah. And a big part of something you've pushed is I think when you first running for governor, you, you kind of said your decision making will be through the lens of, I want an Idaho that my kids will be able to raise their grandkids here. And my grandkids will be able to raise my great grandkids here.
And a lot of that is formulated around economic development and education's a key point of that. Is that still the. The family, a lens for which you make decisions. Well, it's still the same lens. We use the same lens. But when I first became lieutenant governor, we had 10 percent of, uh, of our workforce that was out of work.
We had 100, 000 people out of There were no bad jobs. We have a much better position now. Now we can add quality jobs, uh, increase personal income, uh, more higher skilled jobs. That's what we're doing. What we're doing in the workforce area so that, uh, that our kids have better opportunities going forward.
And, and literally, uh, when, when we get. This training program, uh, on full stride to where, whether it's building houses and having plumbers, electricians, uh, contractors, whether it's healthcare to where we need more nurses, in every one of those fields we're going to be better off. And so many kids that just didn't have an opportunity to go on, now they all have a chance to go on and, and, and basically skill up to where they can make a, a better living than they were before.
I think it's an important point because you talk about CTE, you talk about workforce training, and you beat that drum very, very loud, but you sit in a little bit different seat than the average Idahoan in that you speak to employers far more often than a lot of us do. And so you're hearing them beat the drum to you saying, this is what we need.
And as a result that I'm assuming that's why you've been so loud about it. I mean, if you're a, if you're a eighth grader, And, you know, you're eighth and ninth grade, you're trying to decide what's going on. Now that you're going to have an opportunity, uh, that, you know, 80 percent of them are going to have an opportunity to go on compared to, uh, 35 percent before.
And when I say go on, that's, uh, get on. Certified as a welder, or a lineman, or a, uh, a, a nurse practitioner. Uh, those are all jobs that are going to help the state, and they're going to help those kids at the same time. Well, and the education in Idaho is almost unrecognizable from when you started, for the better, when you look at, Everything from teacher pay and their health insurance plans to even Vandal and BSU football, right?
I know you're not going to try to take credit for any of that, but a lot of investments have been made on the education front, but a lot of good things are happening. Well, there really are. And, and, uh, it's those things, uh, you know, you take a high school kid, uh, that's going to get paid. Whether it's eight months of training or two years of training or four years or more, uh, they're going to have a higher, uh, level of, of, uh, financial, uh, security going forward.
And then they're going to, you know, start families and look forward to building, having their own home, uh, stay here in Idaho. Uh, so, uh, what. What it took to get kids to stay here before is different today. We absolutely have to preserve the quality of life. Um, you know, outdoor recreation, uh, you know, better jobs, uh, new support, small businesses that are just getting started with the critical workforce they need.
So, uh, yeah, I'm very pleased with that, but we still got more work to do. Yeah, you, you've always had the approach of, you know, You, you don't rest too long after a big victory. You saw what happened with, you know, getting this water deal done, uh, all these investments we've made, but you've got a lot more on your to do list.
We don't need to get into details, but it's safe to say that, uh, looking forward, there's a lot more things that we can expect to see coming from the governor. It all goes back to that, uh, our kids and our grandkids having the opportunity to stay here. And so sometimes it's, they don't want to be stuck in traffic.
Uh, they want to, they want to have better jobs. They want to have better outdoor opportunities. Uh, those are all things that are going to, uh, create the bait to have our kids stay here and those that left come back. Yeah. Is you're around people all day who respect the office of governor that show a lot of deference when you're around the grandkids as a kind of humbling.
Do they, does grandpa look a little different than governor? No, not really. Not really. Is that your favorite title to have? Oh, absolutely. But they, they, uh, Uh, it's, and they're, I'm, I'm very pleased, uh, uh, you know, I got something. Some of my grandkids that are, uh, in charter schools and some of them are in public schools and, uh, as I spend time with them, I'm, I'm very pleased with where they are, but we need to make that opportunity available, uh, to all Idahoans.
You've got a unique heritage in Idaho. Grandfather immigrated from Scotland as a shepherd and sheepherder and came over here. Uh, when tough decisions come across your desk, do you think back to your dad, who is a state senator and think, man, how, how would dad have handled this issue with, with these farmers disagreeing in these waters?
Do you think back to, to grandpa and how he would have handled some of these tough problems? Well, but Idaho is a rapidly changing state. You know, we were traditionally, you know, mining, logging, agriculture, food processing. And now we've got all those new industries that are growing and, and, and little businesses, uh, all over Idaho that, uh, you know, I always look at the Treasure Valley, uh, and look at the great companies that were here and every one of them started with an Idahoan, uh, Jack Simplot, Joe Albertson, Harry Morrison, uh, uh, they were all, uh, Idahoans that, you know, they didn't get a, they didn't get a government handout.
They started out. And that's why, uh, deregulation is a, is a big deal for me because I want those small entrepreneurs to be, uh, successful that they don't need a, a lawyer and a regulatory person that the rules are pretty clear. We always want to keep, uh, our, our workforce and our residents safe. Uh, but then we want to have the maximum opportunity for bright Idaho entrepreneurs to, to do, uh, something that's never been done before, uh, that will, uh, create more economic opportunity in Idaho.
Well, and I think that deregulation is what allows you to do what some of your other neighboring states can't, is the ability to get government out of the way and, you know, you often talk about, you know, government can't operate at the speed of business as close as possible. It's advantageous, uh, that our three neighbors, uh, to the west of us, make life harder for their, uh, citizens.
And that's why, uh, there's so many people moving into Idaho. I say it's a cow problem, uh, uh, growth, uh, California, Oregon, and Washington. And they've, uh, and they, I see those people all the time they move here and, uh, state it's so much better here than it is over there. And it's, it's, it's not that I'm, you know, wake up every morning trying to compete with them.
I just do what I think I know people expect me to do and is the right thing. And as a result, We have all these, uh, people to move here to have that opportunity for themselves and their families. Yeah, I love it. We know you got a lot on your schedule, but before we let you go, there's a tradition on the podcast where we ask two of the toughest questions.
And if your staff's been good, they may have given you a hint and prepared you. So, the first question, you've been, uh, All throughout Idaho safe to say, probably nearly every city in Idaho you've spent time in as you've traveled around and grabbed a bite to eat. Is there a place somewhere in the state that you can think that's, that's where everybody needs to stop and grab a bite to eat.
And we're going to, I'm going to preface by saying, you can't say Teresa's cooking. That one is off limits and not fair. So cross that off the list. But if you were to pick a restaurant in the gem state that you think is fantastic and you'd recommend, what would it be? Well, I, uh, I've. I have, uh, consumed great nutritional, uh, substance, uh, substance all over the state of Idaho.
Probably one of my favorite places is Hudson's hamburgers in Coeur d'Alene. Cause it's Just a multigenerational family hamburger place, uh, that, uh, you know, just in there, you know, I third generation, uh, they're, uh, doing a good job. And, uh, but I, you know, these. You know, Saturday is small business Saturday and in Idaho, and it's these these small, small, unique restaurants that are unique to those areas that are, uh, speak to the culture in Idaho.
Hudson's hamburgers in Coeur d'Alene. We'll keep track of that one. Uh, we know how much, how important literacy is to both you and your wife. It's something that you've made a priority. Uh, as you think about books that you've read in your life that have changed your philosophies and your visions or the way you've treated other people, what's a book that you think everyone out there ought to crack open at some point?
There's, there's quite a few of them. Uh, but I, right now I'm reading, uh, kind of the life history of Winston Churchill, uh, which is, uh, uh, pretty fascinating. Uh, there's, there's, you know, leadership books. Uh, this is a biography that I hadn't, that I wasn't as familiar with. And, you know, and you look at the challenges Churchill had, uh, at his time and, uh, you know, what, We don't look back at, uh, you know, the Civil War, World War II, uh, the First World War, and we should be so grateful for what we have here because of what other people did in front of us.
And, uh, I know I won't make it any kind of a mark relative to that, but it's having to make hard decisions at the right time and whether, you know, you kind of instinctively know where your constituency is, but once in a while you just got to make a hard decision because it's the right thing to do. Uh, I, I don't have anything like World War II that I have to deal with and I'm very thankful for that.
I'm sure at times it feels like World War II around here though. Oh no, no, no, no. Well, but that's good to read those because then when you. Come home and you think, oh man, that, uh, health and welfare budget or that education budget or something, uh, we should be very, uh, thankful for the challenges we have relative, you know, there was, there was a time during the depression here in Idaho, uh, we could, we couldn't pay the state's bills, uh, that, uh, there was a time that, uh, that was, that was very, very, very, uh, but of course, so was the rest of the country.
Thank you. But our predecessors, uh, in, in dad would dad was chairman of the finance committee, you know, their hard decisions at that point in time, you know, telling people no, uh, in keeping government to a limited basis is why I have the incredible opportunity to do big things going forward. This sounds like you consider yourself an optimist.
Oh yeah, always. So, we know we've got listeners out there who, they've got their challenges. Some of them might be financial, some of them, you know, families are struggling, whatever it may be. As we look towards the holidays and the new year ahead, what message do you have for Idahoans? Well, I, I do think, uh, as we're approaching Thanksgiving and Christmas, remembering the rest of the people in your community.
Uh, I, I was at an event, uh, Friday, I guess, it was the, Uh, the giving event. And I tell them that I compete with Utah about the highest percent of, uh, individual giving in the state and Utah's one and we're two and I'm trying to get us up because those helping your community, uh, government cannot and should not do everything.
And so, but if. Like I say, if people have better jobs, better opportunities, they're going to be able to decide how they take their money and give it to their neighbors. And, and love their neighbors. Uh, and that's, that, that makes everything else we do easy. Is it somebody to say, well, we got to do this. So, you know, that, that community can kind of, uh, and, but there are some communities, uh, where it's a problem, but we are, it used to be, I would tell you, if somebody said, I need to hire 20 people or 40 people or whatever for, uh, where do I go?
We have the. Incredible situation where there is no one place in Idaho. Uh, some of it's remote work. Uh, some of it's obviously our internet connectivity, uh, but there is not a community in Idaho that's, you know, really challenged, uh, the mining communities and the timber communities, um, because there've been a big consolidation of, of, uh, sawmills.
Uh, but. We still produce the same amount of wood fibers we ever did, uh, with less than a. Probably about a quarter of the number of mills, uh, mining, we're going to be much more specialized going forward. Obviously strategic minerals is going to be important, uh, for all the things we need in this world. Uh, we have the most modern food processing, uh, facilities in the world here because Idaho is a long way from the global markets.
So we have to do it better, more efficiently, uh, have a higher quality product. I just was on a trade mission in both. Uh, Taiwan and Japan, and they're very interested in our products and we have to make, uh, great products here, uh, to basically, uh, keep our agricultural communities going. So we just got lots of opportunities.
I'm very excited about it. I love it. I love the message. Well, governor, we appreciate your leadership, both in economic development and education, but most recently, thanks for what you're doing in the water. Uh, farmers around the state are very happy. Well, I can say we, we got her done, uh, but we also put in places if, you know, if we have a record two or three year drought, we also kind of have a system in place to where we can deal with it, uh, with, with more certainty.
Um, and hopefully, and I believe they will, farmers will start dealing with a crisis. Prior to the crisis getting there. Uh, and that was part of it and that's very important. Yeah. We're cheering for you. All right. Let us know how we can help. Thank you for your time today.
