Arkansas Lawyer

Environmental


Arkansas is blessed with unspoiled lakes, rivers, mountains and forests. Arkansas’s natural beauty is one of its greatest assets and tourist attractions. Areas for outdoor activities abound. The General Assembly recognized that fact, and in 1991, legislators enacted a measure that allowed for the creation of the Attorney General’s Environmental Division.

The division’s role is to protect Arkansas’s environment and to provide support to State agencies with environmental missions.

The Environmental Division has been active in bringing lawsuits to clean up hazardous and solid waste dump sites, to abate public nuisances and to maintain Arkansas’s forests, lakes and streams so that future generations can enjoy the Natural State. The Division is also entrusted with the protection of certain trust funds established by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and often represents the interests of those funds in court.

Though the office does not represent individuals in matters involving private disputes, the Attorney General nevertheless encourages citizens to provide information about air or water pollution control problems, illegal dumping, hazardous and solid waste issues, and any other matters that affect the environment. Matters can be reported by completing this form. It may be necessary for complaints to be referred to another State agency, such as the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

The Attorney General’s Environmental Division and its staff are proud to support the Natural State through its work on behalf of Arkansas State agencies and the environment.