State AG Pulse | Bless Your Heart, Arkansas
Metroplan announces on June 27th that its Board of Directors had approved an Energy and Environment Innovation Comprehensive Action Plan (“Plan”). Metroplan states that the plan will be released for public comment starting...more
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Commission (“NRC”) has released the 2024 Groundwater Protection and Management Report (“Report”)...more
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment - Oil and Gas Commission (“Commission”) addressed an application for the establishment of a lithium compensation structure for Saltwerx, LLC (“Saltwerx”)....more
A Petition to Initiate a Rulemaking Docket (“Petition”) has been filed before the Arkansas Public Service Commission (“APSC”) by the General Staff. See Docket No. 25-025-R. The Petition proposes to make changes to the...more
The publication Arkansas Advocate noted in a May 21st article that the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (“ANRC”): …approved a $1.8 million grant Wednesday to test surface waters for PFAS, the first known statewide...more
Act 1009 was signed by Governor Sanders which amends the Arkansas Water and Air Pollution Control Act to require revocation of a permit for the disposal of industrial waste in an agricultural or pastoral application for a...more
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment – Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) and Transitech Inc. (“TI”) entered into an April 30th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing an alleged violation of an...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a news release titled: 100 Days, 100 Environmental Accomplishments. The news release stated that the Trump Administration has: …wasted no time...more
Act 578 has been signed by the Governor which would authorize the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Commission (“NRC”) to issue certain general obligation bonds. ...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a news release announcing the Clean Water State Revolving Fund’s George F. Ames Performance and Innovation in the SRF Creating Environmental Success (“PISCES”)...more
The American Public Power Association (“APPA”) announced the public power utilities that earned the Reliable Public Power Provider (“RP3”) designation. APPA states that this designation is provided to public power...more
Arkansas has become the first state in the nation to enact legislation, effective starting in 2026, prohibiting pharmacy benefit managers (PBM’s) from owning or operating actual pharmacies within the state. We take a look at...more
On April 16, 2025, Arkansas House Bill 1150 (the “Bill”) was signed by Governor Huckabee Sanders. The Bill will have substantial implications for pharmacy benefit managers (“PBMs”) and pharmacies across the country....more
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment - Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) and City of Patterson, Arkansas entered into a March 10th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing alleged violations of the...more
The American Public Power Association (“APPA”) announced that 202 utilities earned its Safety Award of Excellence (“Award”) for safe operating practices in 2024. Utilities from across the United States are stated to...more
James McEvoy (“McEvoy”) filed an April 2nd Complaint in the Circuit Court of Carroll County, Arkansas against Eureka Springs, Arkansas alleging damages due to a sanitary sewer overflow (“SSO”). See Case No. 08WCV-25-39....more
The Region 6 Office of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) sent a March 27th letter to Stacie Wassell, Associate Director for the Office of Water Quality at the Arkansas Department of Energy and...more
Senate Bill 556 has been introduced which would amend Arkansas Code Title 8, Chapter 3, Subchapter 1 to add an additional Section titled: 8-3-104. Watershed Discharge Prohibition...more
Senate Bill 557 has been introduced which would provide the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment – Division of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”) the authority to deny a: …permit relating to wastewater if the...more
The United States Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) published a February 20th report titled: Army Corps of Engineers: Geographic Distribution of Construction Funding for Water Resources Projects (“Report”)....more
Senate Bill 84 has been introduced by Senator Blake Johnson of Corning and Representative DeAnn Vaught of Horatio prohibiting moratoriums in watersheds and other bodies of water....more
Ms. Demetria Kimbrough, MPH, has been named Associate Director of the Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment – Division of Environmental Quality’s (“DEQ”) Office of Air Quality. Ms. Kimbrough replaces David Witherow,...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published in the August 22nd Federal Register Notice a proposed rule that would approve portions of the revisions to the Arkansas State Implementation Plan (“SIP”)....more
Should a trial be bifurcated when plaintiff seeks punitive damages? Yes. Arkansas rules require a separate trial, on the motion of any party, to determine the amount of punitive damages. Ark. R. Civ. P. 42 (Addition to...more
The changes in the cannabis industry in Southeastern United States represent some of the most surprising and remarkable changes in the history of the industry... Originally published by Bloomberg Law....more