Governor, others due at convention
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 Administrator Anne Isdal and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson will speak at the Arkansas Environmental Federation’s 51st annual convention in Hot Springs, according to an announcement this week from the group.
Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality Director Becky Keogh and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist Rex Nelson also will give speeches.
The convention begins at 7 a.m. Oct. 4 and ends at 1 p.m. Oct. 5.
Isdal, Hutchinson and Keogh will speak successively on the morning of Oct. 4, and Nelson will speak in the afternoon.
The Arkansas Environmental Federation is a nonprofit association that provides education to and speaks for entities that are subject to environmental regulations.
More information on the convention is available at environmentark.org.
LR water authority honored for record
The Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority has been rewarded for having no permit violations for an entire year, according to a news release from the utility.
The city’s wastewater utility won a Peak Performance Gold Award from the the National Association of Clean Water Agencies for no violations during 2017, spokesman Kennetta Ridgell said. She did not know if other organizations were also given the award.
The utility has been subject to orders related to sewage leaks in the past and has spent hundreds of millions of dollars since upgrading facilities to prevent such leaks after being sued by the Sierra Club in 2002.
“Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority is an industry leader and receiving this award demonstrates their commitment to being good environmental stewards and complying with all regulations,” Richard Mays Jr., chairman of the Little Rock Water Reclamation Commission, said in the news release.
Oklahoma to study poultry expansion
Oklahoma officials are creating a council to evaluate the expansion of poultry farming in the northeast portion of the state, according to a news release from its governor’s office.
Oklahoma has long blamed poultry farms and the application of poultry litter as fertilizer in Arkansas for the degradation of the Illinois River in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and the Cherokee Nation announced the Coordinating Council on Poultry Growth this week. Council co-chairmen will be Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese and Cherokee Nation Secretary of Natural Resources Sara Hill.
“The Coordinating Council on Poultry Growth will examine the expansion of poultry production and its impact on rural communities and citizens in the region,” the release said.
Energy-efficiency jobs grow in state
Arkansas added more than 4,200 energy-efficiency jobs from 2015 to 2017, according to a report from environmental and economics groups.
The state had 10,562 energy-efficiency jobs in 2015, the groups reported in December 2016. In a 2017 report released this week, the state had 14,782 such jobs.
Nearly all of the jobs were in construction and repairs and in professional services, including engineering, architecture, research and development, and accounting. Small percentages were in manufacturing and sales and distribution.
Many institutions, such as public agencies, schools and other businesses, have invested in energy-efficiency projects using loans that they expect will ultimately be paid off with savings from lower utility bills.
The report was compiled by E2, also called Environmental Entrepreneurs, and E4TheFuture.
Nationally, the groups reported, there were 2.25 million energy-efficiency jobs in 2017, more than twice the number of jobs in the fossil-fuel industry.