BOISE - Idaho lawmakers are backing a proposal to stiffen penalties on developers who harm lakes or fisheries.

The House Resources and Conservation Committee approved a bill today that would levy heftier fines on developers who damage lake water quality or fisheries through unauthorized work.

The Senate unanimously passed the measure last week.

The proposal is a response to a developer who destroyed an important spawning bed for a prized sport fish in northern Idaho last spring.

Workers for Bob Holland, owner of Waterford Park Developments, destroyed spawning beds at the bottom of Lake Pend Oreille when they began work on a marina expansion at Bayview without a permit.

Holland was fined $2,500 by the Idaho Department of Lands. The state estimates the unauthorized work caused $1.4 million in damages.

The bill would raise maximum fines to $10,000, or $1,000 per day of violation, whichever is higher.

Currently, fines range from $150 to $2,500.