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A serious task Committed to protecting Buffalo By ASA HUTCHINSON

14 Apr 2017 1:09 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

Arkansasonline


OPINION - Guest writer

A serious task

Committed to protecting Buffalo

By ASA HUTCHINSON SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE


As governor of Arkansas, I have a responsibility to protect the Buffalo River. As an outdoorsman, I have a personal interest in seeing the Buffalo River healthy and beautiful for my grandchildren. I take my responsibility seriously.


In a recent column, Mike Masterson penned an open letter asking me to block the renewal of the permit for C&H Hog Farms, which has its operation six miles from the Buffalo on the Big Creek tributary. Masterson invoked the name of his late uncle, John Paul Hammerschmidt, the Arkansas congressman whose love for the Buffalo led to its designation in 1972 as the nation's first national river.


I was elected to Congress from the same district as John Paul Hammerschmidt. I knew him well, and he inspired all of us to protect our natural heritage. He concluded that the Buffalo River watershed needed to be protected as a national park after his own vigorous research. Through his actions, he urged Arkansans to make decisions based upon the law, facts, and science.


It is important to note that only in rare circumstances is the state of Arkansas authorized to restrict how private landowners are to utilize their land. And the legislative restrictions on land use do apply to C&H Hog Farms. In order for the private landowner to operate such a facility, he is required to allow the state to restrict the use of his land through a rigorous regulatory process. To date, the hog farm has operated in a manner that satisfies all water-quality and land-use regulations that Arkansas and federal law require.


The monitoring and inspection of this facility to ensure that it is operating within the bounds of its permit is a priority for me as governor. Because of the farm's Big Creek location, I am committed to constant and complete oversight of this permit.

Science, not emotion, must drive our approach to protecting the Buffalo National River and the Buffalo River watershed. With that science-driven approach in mind, I have taken steps to be sure both the public and the regulatory agencies have all the facts. Specifically, I have directed funding toward two separate and impartial scientific studies around C&H Hog Farms.


First, I have extended the five-year survey of the University of Arkansas' Big Creek Research and Extension Team. Second, I have directed the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to use agency funds to contract a third party to initiate a drilling study near the storage ponds at C&H Hog Farms. The drilling study evaluated the integrity of C&H's pond liners because an imaging study conducted by the Big Creek team indicated the possibility of a release from the ponds. The independent investigators found no evidence of a release.


My love for our state and my passion to protect our water compels me to ensure that the studies are scientific and impartial. The studies on which the Department of Environmental Quality bases its decisions are, and will continue to be, scientifically and environmentally sound.


The science tells me that there is no evidence of a release from the storage ponds at C&H Hog Farms.


One good result from this understandably emotional debate is Arkansas' renewed awareness of the need to protect this valuable natural resource.


To be certain that we are doing all that we can to preserve the Buffalo, I formed the Beautiful Buffalo River Action Committee in 2016. This is a nonregulatory committee of five state agencies that have pooled resources to create a forum for those interested in the Buffalo River watershed. The committee has already held one quarterly meeting, and work has progressed on a watershed management plan that will help identify opportunities for protecting and enhancing the Buffalo River watershed.


The discussion has highlighted that awareness brings action and I have been notified that, with this renewed interest, public and private projects are now being advanced to focus on protection and preservation of the majestic river it is.

Like many rural and wild natural areas in our country, a wide range of impacts can create natural variations in river observations. Our natural systems are inherently resilient and adaptive. The efforts are focused on all impacts which may occur from development, community, tourism, and agriculture. With our increased awareness, we can responsibly strike the balance of preserving the Buffalo watershed and of basking in its beauty while we live and work there.


The Buffalo River is important to me as governor and as an Arkansan who has personally enjoyed the river for many years. I am committed to keeping the Buffalo a national resource for generations to come.

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Asa Hutchinson is the 46th governor of the state of Arkansas.

Editorial on 04/14/2017


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