Residents of three cities will get a chance to learn about the mining of lignite in Arkansas.
Arkadelphia, Camden and Benton will be next to hold the town meetings, which are being hosted by state Rep. Garry Smith of Camden, the Natural Resources Research Center and Southern Arkansas University.
Meetings have already been held in Hope, Magnolia, and Hampton. Dates and locations for the remaining town meetings are as follows: Wednesday, Jan. 5, at the Arkadelphia Recreation Center, 2555 Twin Rivers Drive, Arkadelphia; Thursday, Jan. 6, at the Benton Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Center, 607 N. Market Street, Benton; and Friday, Jan. 7 at the Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development, 625 Adams Street, Camden. All meetings are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
In 2007, the Arkansas Legislature approved the Lignite Resources Pilot Program, that tasked the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, SAU and the Arkansas Geological Survey with developing and promoting lignite. South Arkansas has roughly 9 billion tons of untapped lignite resources.
The scheduled town meetings will provide an opportunity for the public to hear of the potential economic benefits to south Arkansas. Financial, geological, and environmental information related to the production of crude oil from lignite will be provided to those who attend.
A state geologist says mining of lignite deposits in south Arkansas could boost the region’s economy by millions of dollars.
Ed Ratchford, senior petroleum geologist of the Arkansas Geological Survey, spoke earlier this month to the Hope town meeting about the mineral deposits.
Ratchford said the deposits of lignite — also known as “brown coal” — offer potential for at least two mines in the region.
He said that, at a current market value of $80 a barrel for crude oil, about $640 billion of lignite reserves exist in south Arkansas.
Information for this article was contributed by The Associated Press.