Arkansas Times
It creates a loophole to allow a facility to obtain a permit under a less restrictive general permit that must be renewed and then switch to a permanent individual permit that requires higher standards for approval without meeting those required standards. This is not protective of our natural resources and creates an ineffective and convoluted permitting regime. It places all of our waters at risk along with the businesses and families who rely on them. Specifically, this legislation threatens the crown jewel of Arkansas’s tourism industry and livelihoods of all the families who have invested their savings and lives into businesses in the Buffalo River Watershed.