A bill currently going through the Arkansas Legislature is sparking concern over a possible return to large hog farm operations to the Buffalo River Watershed.

UPDATE
An Ozarks First report follows-up on a Facebook Post mentioned in the original story that the bill, after being considered in a Senate Committee meeting on Tuesday, has been pulled by its lead sponsor, Republican Blake Johnson (of Corning. 

Original Story
The current bill being considered, SB 290, would require approval every other year of legislative committees for any moratoriums put in place like the one currently in effect banning large hog farm operations from the Buffalo River Watershed. 

A proponent of the bill, Republican State Representative Stetson Painter of Mountain Home, tells the Mountain Home Observer his support of the bill is not support for reintroducing hog farms to the Buffalo River region but allowing more legislative control over that and other moratoriums that might be proposed. 

Opponents of the bill say that the requirement to renew the moratoriums if approved could eventually led to operations in the Buffalo River and other watersheds across the state. 

This bill if passed, would require legislative action within 30 days to renew the moratorium put in place in 2019 banning hog farm operations near the Buffalo River or it would be considered unenforceable according to the language of the bill. That is what has many opponents of the bill concerned. 

The moratorium was the result of a battle for years between state environmental officials and the owners of C & H Hog Farms. The facility had been allowed to spread hog waste to nearby field, some of which eventually leaked into the Buffalo River. Then Governor Asa Hutchinson eventually the effort to buyout the C & H assets and close the facility down. 

The bill did have a hearing in a senate committee on Tuesday but was pulled for revision according to a post on the Norfork Brewing Company Facebook Page. Brewery Company Jason Aamodt, who is also an environmental lawyer, recently hosted a meeting about the bill. 

A recap of that meeting and more information can be found on the KTLO Website.