Commission given $13.5 million grant
The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $13.5 million to the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission to provide loan assistance to public water systems, according to an agency news release.
The grant is a part of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which helps the systems finance improvements to infrastructure.
The grant announcement comes during the 40th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, passed to protect public health by regulating public drinking water supply, the release states.
Florida group sues for species' status
A Florida organization has filed a formal notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to determine whether 17 amphibians and reptiles in the southeastern United States should be considered for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, according to a news release from the Tallahassee-based Center for Biological Diversity.
Four of the species -- the alligator snapping turtle, Fourche Mountain salamander, Caddo Mountain salamander and Illinois chorus frog -- can be found in Arkansas.
The center argues that the animals are increasingly rare and face extinction connected to human activities.
Hearings to cover air pollution rules
The Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission will hold public hearings Jan. 12 on proposed changes to state air pollution regulations to comply with new federal standards, according to a news release from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. The department is seeking the rule change with the commission, its appellate body.
The hearings will be at 2 p.m. at the department's North Little Rock headquarters. Arkansans will have until Jan. 27 to comment on the changes.
The state, along with stakeholders, is concurrently drafting a statewide plan for implementing the changes.
"In general, the proposed changes will help ensure Arkansas has the authority to implement air pollution control programs and to issue permits," the release states.
Metro on 12/21/2014