Help Ban Medium & Large CAFOs in the Buffalo Watershed

[DeBo]

Contact Your Representatives NOW!

There is an important meeting coming up in Little Rock on December 5th at 9 a.m. concerning the proposed permanent ban on future swine CAFOs in the Buffalo River Watershed. Both the Senate and House committees on Agriculture and Public Health will review the proposal. It will be subject to further legislative review before a final vote by APC&E Commission but this meeting will be a major hurdle if it is to be approved and we need your help. Please call or write your representative and the committee chairs before Friday December 5.

Here are some points to consider when calling and writing:

Opponents of the ban have suggested that it will be applied statewide to all sorts of animal operations. THIS IS NOT TRUE and is a red herring.

- The proposed ban is very limited in scope.
- The ban only applies to Medium and Large swine CAFO's within the Buffalo National River watershed.
- The ban does not apply to poultry, cattle or dairy operations, nor to Small swine operations located within the Buffalo River watershed.
- The ban does not apply to any other watersheds in Arkansas, only the Buffalo.
- The ban is not retroactive and will not affect existing operations within the Buffalo watershed, such as C & H or any other currently permitted facilities.

The ban will afford permanent protection to one of The Natural State's most valuable natural resources, the Buffalo National River. The current controversy has shown that such protection is important to Arkansans across the state and has attracted nationwide and worldwide attention. It behooves our leaders to preserve and protect this treasure for future generations of Americans.

Below is a link to each committee and its Chair. If you click on the individual members link, it will give you their telephone numbers and addresses. We suggest you contact your representative with calls and/or copies to the committee chairs. This is more effective than trying to persuade those who do not represent your district. Keep in mind that the legislators are very busy and if they are not on the committees they are not the decision makers. Telephone calls and personal letters sent by mail carry more weight than email. Even if your representative is not on one of the committees, contact him/her anyway and ask that they share your concerns with their colleagues. Please take time to call and write on this important issue. The public is welcome to attend the meeting: 9 am Dec. 5, Room A, Big Mac Bldg, 1 Capitol Mall, Little Rock.

District Finder. Use this link to see who your representatives are:
http://argis.ualr.edu/DistrictFinder/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Senate Public Welfare and Health:
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/ ... eecode=430" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Chair: Senator Cecile Bledsoe 709 Sky Mountain Dr., Rogers, AR 72757

House Public Welfare and Health:
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/ ... eecode=830" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Chair: Representative John Burris PO Box 322, Harrison, AR 72601

House Agriculture, Forestry, and Economic Development:
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/ ... eecode=870" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Chair: Representative Matthew J Shepherd 200 N. Jefferson Ave., #600, El Dorado, AR 71730

Senate, Agriculture, Forestry, and Economic Development:
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/ ... eecode=470" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Chair: Senator Bruce Holland PO Box 2387, Greenwood, AR 72936

[paddledog]

What size is a medium and small operation?

[DeBo]

A small Farm is under 750 pigs. This ban would include both medium and large CAFOs. You can find the definitions of those here:

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/agr/ab ... neric.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[paddledog]

Wow, that's a lot.

[DeBo]

They hearing did not go well. It was obvious from the nature and hostility of most of the questions that Farm Bureau has been in the ears of the state legislature. Some of the questions demonstrated pure ignorance such as, " Is the size of the watershed likely to change?" A watershed is a geological feature. Barring an earthquake it is unlikely to change. As the hearing progressed legislators began to leave the room one by one until there was no longer a quorum and the vote had to be put off until next year's session. Perhaps this is what they planned to do all along. I don't know.

This is how our elected officials handle their responsibilities.

We will continue to follow this through the session and work hard to pass it if possible. Thanks to members of the Arkansas Canoe Cub for your love of rivers and your support for Keeping them free and clean.