Arkansas Blog

The Corp is the most corporate-owned, money-driven government agency I've experienced. If a developer/company wants it and environmentalists don't...it ain't even a contest. And 'they' think they're so clever by hiding their shenanigans in a shell-game of departments...ha. Sure, the first person you talk to is outraged that a Conway developer filled in a creek without the proper permits...'that just can't be.' But by the time you get to the Enforcement side...it's over...they'll 'look into it' and even if you have the patience of Jobe...you're still screwed. I'm not sure how it got this bad, but if our natural resources only have the Corp standing between them and decimation...it's over. Who needs the Little Red River anyway...

Man, are the farmers going to be angry. They're the ones who are entitled to drain our rivers in order to make themselves money.

Agreed.

The Corps of Engineers is a joke

WOW this must be the John Edwards plan (no not NC John Edwards)!!

John Edwards was Executive Director of the $418 million boondoggle to IRRIGATE the White River.

A plan that was rated by the National Wildlife Federation & The Taxpayer's for Common Sense as the #1 MOST WASTEFUL Federal/State Project in the Country. #1 IN THE COUNRTY.

I love how no body seems to question John Edwards about this. The State has directly appropriated over a million dollars to the project and just gave another $100 million in State Bonds despite the injunction Bill Wilson put on the project.

$418 million? That's John Edward's priorities? 418 million for Education? ...Nope. For Roads? ...Nope

BUT to expand to irrigate the White River and threaten the most important wetland in our state for Ducks and the thousands of Duck Hunters who depend on those bottom land hard woods flooding ever year.

John Edwards stands up and say Yes thats what we should do the with money and I will lead?????

How does he get a free pass on this? Not to mention to get the auithority to even start pumping water out of the White River, the group led by JE had to make sure they took authority away from the Game & Fish Commission (because God forbid they might lean towards protecting the wetland) and give it to the Soil & Water Commission.

OH wait that is exactly what the bullshit Bill by Deltic Timber planned to do in order to develop West Little Rock McMansions around Lake Maumelle and our drinking water. TAKE authority away from the Central Arkansas Water Authority (because they might lean towards protecting our drinking water) AND Give it to....you guessed it the Soil & Water Commission.

I don't think its a stretch to say if John Edwards favors Soil & Water taking over authority on the White River that he would favor the same on Lake Maumelle.

John Edwards is a good guy BUT he is dead wrong on the issues that Environmentalists and Duck Hunters care about.

Not to mention anyone who favors responsible spending of our tax dollars

AND No one knows how much money John Edwards made as ED of the Grand Prarie Irrigation Project because no matter how many times David Carruth and teh Arkansas Wildlife Federation FOI'd they seemed to get stonewalled.

Where is all this money going? Why does this project still have state operating funds if there is a Federal injunction against it?

John Edwards has some SPLAINING to do!!!

If he loses this State Rep race I guess he will always have a Job with Chesapeake Energy negotiating deals to irrigate our rivers all over the state though!!!

McFadden501-

Thanks for that wonderful smear of John Edwards. Also, thanks for publishing a report that is eight years old. Do you have anything that might be a little more recent? The White River Irrigation Project was a DEMONSTRATION PROJECT. It would have taken LESS THAN 2% of the water that flows in the White River. You need to get your facts straight before you start slinging mud.

(Grrrrrrrr! I have to sign in everytime I leave this site and come back.)

Click on Cato for a great idea for the summer mowing.

Cato, hit the "Remember personal info?" box just above your post. Sometimes that works. Do you use two browsers, like IE and Mozilla? When you change browsers that can do it.

>>location of the intake structure is in a transitional zone that will not affect water quantity or quality in any way that would be detrimental to either trout upstream or native fisheries downstream.<<

With a Forty Eight Inch or FOUR foot diameter intake I'm willing to bet that the above statement is framed around "average flows." Reduce the river to low flows and turn on the Four foot wide intake and let's see the damage.

Someone campaigning for John Edwards came by my house. He asked me what my most important issues are. I opened the brochure, saw Lake Maumelle, and asked about his position on that. It wasn't clear from the text what the deal was. The guy didn't know (!) but sent me to JE's website. When I went there, there was nothing. Everything linked to a page for donations.

Anyway, I was impressed and planned to vote for him but am no longer. Now I know why the brochure had a lot of words but said nothing.

A DEMONSTRATION PROJECT is to demonstrate something would work. It is pure idiocy and the height of corporate welfare to drain water out of the White River to benefit a few farmers. Less than 2% of the water, 10%, whatever. It shows a tendency to trade the environment away for money and that is unacceptable. No wonder He just lost my vote.

How many pipelines will they use? 1? 2? A hundred?

I am an avid fly fisher. The Little Red is absolutely one of the most beautiful and bountiful rivers for trout fishing not only in Arkanansas, but nationwide. In fact, many of the streams and rivers in Arkansas are covered regularly in the major fly-fishing magazines.