Arkansas Developer to Pay $175,000 in Penalties

This may be one reason why Outdoor Life magazine named an Arkansas town the top place to live for sportsmen in America (see “Paradise Found“): Arkansans take their conservation seriously. Developer Benny Doyal must pay $175,000 to cover legal fees and penalties associated with the damage his developments caused to the North Fork of the White River in August 2006.
“Of the total fine, ADEQ will get $50,000, which will go into a remedial action trust fund, which is a fund set up for civil environmental penalties, according to the decree. Arkansas Council of Trout Unlimited, which also was involved in the lawsuit, will receive $50,000 to pay for attorney fees and for the benefit of the North Fork of the White River or its watershed. The remaining $75,000 will go toward organizations selected by ADEQ, which will be directed toward the benefit of the river and its watershed, according to the decree.” Joanne Bratton in the Baxter Bulletin.