A La Grande man is hoping to start a movement for parts of Eastern Oregon and eastern Washington to join Idaho, the East Oregonian newspaper reports. Residents in eastern Oregon and Washington have discussed breaking away from their more liberal neighbors to form a new state for years, but a new twist has been added to the conversation: Why form a new state when the rural counties could just join Idaho instead?

Ken Parsons, a 72-year-old farmer, said the idea was floated offhand by someone else in a letter to the editor in the La Grande Observer. After thinking about it for a couple of months and discussing it with friends, Parsons said he has decided to try to get input from residents of neighboring counties. It’s the latest in a series of proposals including creating a new state of Eastern Oregon; you can read the full story here from the AP.