Attorney General Griffin Announces $8.4 Million for Arkansas Waterway Improvement Projects

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement announcing $8.4 million in funding for 21 waterway improvement and restoration projects across Arkansas using funds from the state’s settlement with Monsanto Company:

“Arkansas is home to some of the most beautiful waterways in the country, and protecting these natural resources is important to our state’s future. These funds will help improve water quality, reduce erosion and sedimentation, restore aquatic habitats, and preserve waterways for future generations.

“When I announced our settlement with Monsanto last month, I made clear that these funds would be used to further water quality in Arkansas. Today, we are putting those dollars to work by investing in projects that will make a meaningful difference in waterways across our state.”

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued the following statement:

“Water grows the crops in our fields, supports jobs in our communities, and brings people from across the world to experience the Natural State. Protecting it is an investment in everything that makes Arkansas a great place to live, work, and raise a family. I’m grateful to Attorney General Griffin for putting these dollars to work restoring our waterways and helping ensure the water that has shaped Arkansas’ success will sustain it for generations to come.”

First Gentleman Bryan Sanders issued the following statement:

“Arkansas’ outdoor recreation economy depends on what happens upstream. The quality of our water shapes the quality of our fishing, our floating, and the experience people have when they visit the Natural State. These projects put conservation into practice, restoring riverbanks and habitats that make our waterways worth visiting. I appreciate Attorney General Griffin’s investment in the places that support our outdoor businesses and give Arkansans so many reasons to get outside.”

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Chairman Rob Finley issued the following statement:

“We are profoundly grateful to the Attorney General’s office for this critical settlement funding opportunity. Sediment from eroding streambanks is the number one pollutant threatening our state’s 137,200 miles of streams. This investment empowers the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to address severe sediment-producing projects around the state, stabilizing banks and removing instream barriers to restore vital fish habitats and preserve the clean waterways essential to Arkansas’s outdoor economy and heritage.”

The $8.4 million will support 21 projects and initiatives, including $6.7 million for projects through the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and $1.7 million for additional waterway improvement and conservation efforts.

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Projects – $6.7 Million
Alum Fork Saline River – Saline County – $350,000
North Fork Saline River, Zuber Property – Saline County – $350,000
Eleven Point River, Oxborrow Property – Randolph County – $1,000,000
Tice and Wales Properties, War Eagle Creek – Madison County – $250,000
Centerton Hatchery Spring – Benton County – $250,000
Mize Crossing, Cossatot River – Sevier County – $750,000
Big Piney Creek, Hull Property – Pope County – $300,000
Aurora Crossing, War Eagle Creek – Madison County – $750,000
Fancher Property – Madison County – $500,000
Crooked Creek Bank Stabilization – Baxter County – $1,000,000
Gulf Mountain Wildlife Management Area – Van Buren County – $150,000
Little Missouri River – Pike County – $250,000
Northwest Arkansas Nature Center – Benton County – $250,000
White River, Wagoner Property – Marion County – $250,000
Robinson Creek – Polk and Sevier counties – $100,000
Wilburn Creek, Little Red River – Cleburne County – $100,000
Hargis Bank Stabilization – Madison County – $100,000

Additional Waterway Improvement and Conservation Projects – $1.7 Million
Friends of Fourche Creek – Pulaski County – $100,000
Illinois River Watershed Project – Benton County – $100,000
War Memorial Park Restoration – Pulaski County – $500,000
Bayou Bartholomew Waterways Project, Inc. – Ashley, Jefferson, and Lincoln counties – $1,000,000

On October 2, Griffin announced a settlement with Monsanto Company, Solutia, Inc., and Pharmacia LLC, resolving claims that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) manufactured by Monsanto caused environmental contamination. Under the settlement agreement, the funds are restricted for purposes related to water quality.

To download a PDF of this release, click here.

About Attorney General Tim Griffin

Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.

Griffin is currently an officer in the Arkansas Army National Guard and holds the rank of colonel. Griffin served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.

His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.

Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.

###

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.