Environment
Arkansas legislators study solar power growth, net metering and recycling
State lawmakers on Wednesday began weighing how to regulate Arkansas’ growing solar industry. During the four-hour hearing, legislators heard a range of at times conflicting views about the potential impacts and viability of solar energy and net metering. Representatives of utilities, the solar industry and environmental advocacy groups agreed that solar power can benefit Arkansas […]
Progessives raise doubts about Manchin deal on environmental permitting
More than 50 U.S. House members are objecting to a push to revise federal environmental permitting requirements for energy projects — part of a deal Democratic leaders struck with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin III to win passage of their climate, health and taxes bill that passed last month. The House members signed onto a letter […]
White House requests $47 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine, vaccines and more
The Biden administration is asking Congress for emergency funding to support Ukraine’s military, national COVID and monkeypox responses and to help communities affected by natural disasters. The current fiscal year ends Sept. 30 and Congress has not passed a funding measure for next year, so a short-term bill would be needed to keep the government […]
For kidney patients, the water crisis in Jackson holds especially high stakes
Thousands of Jacksonians with kidney failure rely on clean water to power the dialysis treatments that keep them alive. As the city’s water system collapses, dialysis providers have brought in tanker trucks full of water to ensure patients don’t have to miss their treatment. Lack of access to clean water also creates risks for patients […]
Farmers in 40 Arkansas counties can receive drought-related financial aid
Farmers in more than half of Arkansas’ 75 counties can apply for federal funds to help them cope with the effects of ongoing drought conditions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday. The USDA declared a “primary natural disaster area” in 20 counties: Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clay, Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Independence, Izard, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, […]
Fix for underfunded Arkansas tire recycling program must wait for legislative review
A stop-gap measure to keep Arkansas’ tire recycling program running fell through on Friday, meaning scrap tire piles will keep growing in large sections of the state. A request from the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality for $1 million from state savings to shore up the Arkansas Used Tire Recycling and Accountability Act Program was […]
Scrap tires pile up in Arkansas as state recycling funds fall short
Arkansas is on the cusp of a big rubber problem. Unusable tires are piling up at tire shops, car dealerships and waste collection sites around the state. Those black rubber stacks will continue to grow unless state government acts quickly to patch up the program, which recently ran out of money. The Arkansas Division of […]
Boozman visits irrigation projects meant to preserve Arkansas groundwater
Two water infrastructure projects decades in the making would make Arkansas farmers less reliant on one of the most-used aquifers in the state, officials said Wednesday after U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, visited both projects. The Bayou Meto and White River water management districts have each been digging canals and installing pipelines to transport surface […]
USDA plans ‘historic’ funding to help struggling farmers and develop new ag leaders
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will distribute up to $550 million to expand certain farmers’ access to land, money and markets and to create educational opportunities for the students of higher-education institutions that cater to racial and ethnic minorities. “The idea here obviously is to enlarge the number of people that are engaged in this […]
Committee promises American Rescue Plan funds to water and wastewater improvement
Several water infrastructure projects will get a financial boost from federal COVID-19 relief funds after a state committee approved the allocation Thursday. $270 million from the state’s American Rescue Plan Act funds, received in 2021, will be distributed among water and wastewater projects if the Arkansas Legislative Council approves the request, state Agriculture Secretary Wes […]
Drought, inflation strain Arkansas farmers, who see little relief in sight
Billy Grace, a Saline County cattle farmer, sold a portion of his herd this summer for the first time in 19 years in the business. High fertilizer prices and intense drought conditions have made it difficult for Arkansas farmers like Grace to grow, buy and sell hay this year. Grace sold 60 animals because he […]
Biden signs into law Democrats’ wide-ranging climate change, health care and tax bill
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed his party’s signature climate, health care and tax package into law Tuesday, capping off more than a year of tumultuous negotiations that saw his original proposal to Congress slimmed down considerably. Flanked by a handful of Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn and […]