URGENT Action Required Before March 4th:

Help Defeat Senate Bill 290 Which Prohibits Moratoriums Statewide 

Please click this link to Send an Email to the Arkansas House Agriculture, Forestry, and Economic Development committee asking them to oppose SB290 and support a permanent moratorium on large CAFOs in the Buffalo River Watershed.

Thanks to all who have patiently followed legislative maneuverings over the past month and who have responded to our repeated requests to contact committee members. You have made a difference! We have reason to believe that it may all come to a conclusion this week and we hope you will continue to help us in this final push to oppose these 2 bills which threaten the Buffalo River.

Legislative efforts to remove the current moratorium on swine CAFO permits in the Buffalo River watershed continue to be scheduled, rescheduled and delayed. It began with Senate Bill 84  which was scheduled to be heard by the Senate Agriculture committee on February 6th. It would ban all moratoriums statewide. As a result of citizen efforts to defeat this bill, it was placed on the deferred agenda where it remains. However, on February 25th, the same sponsors introduced Senate Bill 290  which essentially does the same as SB84 only in a more onerous way.  Currently SB290  is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4th at 10 am in room 309 of the Capitol.  If it passes in committee it will likely be heard and passed on the Senate floor the same day. It could then go to the House Agriculture Committee as soon as the next day, March 5th. We urge you to use the link above to email House Ag committee members asking that they OPPOSE  SB290.   BRWA will attend these meetings to testify against the bill and we encourage all who are able to attend as well.

If SB290 passes in both chambers it will then go to the governor. If she vetos the bill, as we hope she would, in can nevertheless be overridden by a simple majority vote of the legislature.

Read SENATE BILL 290 here

When BRWA was organized in 2013 we had two simple(!) goals: 1) to close the C&H hog CAFO and; 2) to secure a permanent moratorium prohibiting any future hog CAFOs in the Buffalo River watershed. We accomplished the first in 2019 with closure of C&H and the second is now being threatened.  Senate Bills 84 and 290 would statutorily prohibit moratoriums against the issuance of permits for swine CAFOs (and any other permits) statewide, including specifically in the Buffalo National River watershed. It is an obvious end-run around pending rule makings which include protections for the Buffalo. Senate Bill 290 was filed on February 25 and will come before the Senate Ag Committee at 10 am on Tuesday March 4th. Your help is urgently needed now:

If the link doesn't work for you:

That html link works with most email systems, but some don't support it. Allowing popups (aka popup windows) temporarily in your browser or phone settings will often allow the link to work. The text of the message to the legislators is below. You can copy and paste it into a new email. You can put the following list of legislator email addresses in your 'To' box.

[Put the following list of email addresses in your email 'To' box - you can put them in all at once:]

roger.lynch@arkansashouse.org,jeremiah.moore@arkansashouse.org,harlan.breaux@arkansashouse.org,matt.brown@arkansashouse.org,cameron.cooper@arkansashouse.org,bccci@cablelynx.com,denise.garner@arkansashouse.org,l_jean@sbcglobal.net,stephen.magie@arkansashouse.org,rmcnair1950@gmail.com,kendra.moore@arkansashouse.org,chad.puryear@arkansashouse.org,richmond4staterep@gmail.com,matthew.shepherd@arkansashouse.org,sensteele@yahoo.com,steve.unger@arkansashouse.org,steven.walker@arkansashouse.org,david.whitaker@arkansashouse.org,carlton@carltonwing.com

[Below is the message - add to or change it if you wish:]

Subject: Oppose Senate Bill 290

Email body:

Please protect the Buffalo National River and Support a permanent moratorium on large swine CAFOs in the BNR watershed.

SB290 is redundant and unnecessary because the law already requires that any new rules be approved by the legislature.

Protect the Natural State's beauty and recreation opportunities, our drinking water resources, business economic opportunities, and towns, school systems, and family farms in the BNR watershed.

Vote NO on SB290.

Sincerely,

BRWA Concerns

* This bill leaves vulnerable the Buffalo National River which is a state icon and economic engine worthy of protections from threats to its water quality.

* Passage of this bill invites a repeat of the $6.2 million state buyout of the C&H disaster and is financially irresponsible.

* This bill leaves vulnerable all watersheds in the state, including those of numerous municipal water systems, including the Maumelle watershed which is currently protected by a moratorium.

Please join us TODAY in urging members of the House Ag Committee to oppose SB 290.  

Thank you!