Hearing Scheduled for Today

There will be an Oversight Field Hearing on “Protecting the Rights of Property Owners: Proposed Federal Critical Habitat Designations Gone Wild” TODAY at 10:00 a.m. at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville inside Independence Hall. The public is invited to attend.

Background:

According to the Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed rule will designate a total of 769.2 river miles in Arkansas as critical habitat for Neosho muckets and rabbitsfoot mussels. The proposed critical habitat designations will directly impact 31 Arkansas counties and the targeted watershed will cover approximately 42% of the entire geographical area of Arkansas. The AAC’s members are concerned that the “proposed critical habitat designation will result in costly and disruptive impacts that may or may not produce corresponding benefits, in part because so little is known about the specific habitat requirements for these species. The Arkansas Environmental Federation, the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts and the Arkansas Farm Bureau have concerns as well.

For more information visit: www.naturalresources.house.gov