Last month, a group of Idaho officials boarded a state-owned airplane to tour potential phosphate mining sites.

The Idaho Mining Association paid the costs, which totaled $2,543. In an interview with the Associated Press, Jack Lyman of the mining association called the arrangement a "unique circumstance."

We hope so. The state's plane shouldn't be available for hire by special-interest groups that have money and an issue they'd like to discuss with elected officials. The state's property should be used for state business.

That's the way it usually works. An Idaho Transportation Department rule allows only state agencies to hire out the plane.

Lt. Gov. Brad Little's office arranged to use the plane to fly from Boise to the southeast Idaho mining sites. But Little is a part-time state official with a modest $400-a-month travel budget, so the mining association offered to cover the expenses.

That saves the taxpayers a little money. As a result, some might say there's no problem here.

But there is a problem, subtle but nonetheless important. Appearances matter. And the Sept. 11 tour sends a hopelessly muddled signal.

The tour looks a little bit like state business, and an appropriate use of a state plane - a fact-finding expedition to learn more about the health of a significant Idaho industry. We wouldn't have a problem with that. Even when the economy is down and budgets are tight, elected officials and agency heads need the kind of insight they can glean only from being on the ground.

The mine tour also looks a little bit like a lobbying effort bankrolled by special interests - an effort to curry support for proposals such as Monsanto Co.'s Blackfoot Bridge mine. We aren't naive. We understand that special interest groups will spend money to lobby elected officials. As long as this lobbying is transparent, we wouldn't object to the industry paying state officials' airfare or arranging a charter plane.

So was the mine tour fish or fowl? It's impossible to tell. That's the problem.

And the other problem is that these arrangements have a way of becoming practice. Now that this tour has the legal blessing of Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, who was among the attendees, there's a good chance other groups will try to follow suit.

Let's not let this become a habit.

Yes, elected officials and state agencies need to find creative ways to stretch budgets during lean times. But not when creativity blurs the line between the public interest and special interests.

"Our View" is the editorial position of the Idaho Statesman. It is an unsigned opinion expressing the consensus of the Statesman's editorial board. To comment on an editorial or suggest a topic, e-mail editorial@idahostatesman.com.