Between the Lines Blog
The Future of FOIA is Here: New Requirements under Acts 505 and 922 of 2025
The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has long been a cornerstone of transparency, ensuring that the public has access to government records and meetings. Acts 505 and 922 of 2025, which took effect on August 5, 2025, significantly amend FOIA to modernize public meeting rules, clarify…
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Summer 2025 Meeting Summary
The Mitchell Williams Insurance Regulatory team of lawyers recently attended the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Summer 2025 National Meeting which was held in Minneapolis, MN. We have prepared a summary of the open sessions conducted over the course of the meeting…
What Agricultural Landowners Need to Know Now About Leases to Minimize Future Risk
June 20, 2025
by John P. Talbot
According to the USDA – Economic Research Service, there are approximately 911 million acres of farmland in the lower 48 states, with roughly 60% of this farmland owner-operated and 40% of it leased. For tillable cropland acres specifically, the percentage of rented ground is higher, approximately…
2025 Arkansas Insurance Legislation Summary: Life
This is the fourth and final article in a series of summaries of Insurance legislation from the 95th Arkansas General Assembly. The 95th Arkansas General Assembly convened on January 13, 2025, and entered into an extended recess on April 16, 2025. The resolution authorizing the extended recess…
State Air Trends & Successes: Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies Issues 2025 Report
May 28, 2025
The Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies ("AAPCA") issued the 2025 edition of its annual report titled: State Air Trends & Successes ("Report"). AAPCA describes itself as a: ...National Small Land, non-profit consensus-driven organization focused on assisting state and local air…
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law Blog
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment - Division of Environmental Quality Will Undertake Sampling Program
Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment - Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) Office of Water Quality Deputy Director, Ms. Stacie Wassell, announced during an October 9th Arkansas Environmental Federation Convention presentation that the agency will be undertaking a per- and…
Title V/Clean Air Act: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Order Addressing Petition for Objection Related to an Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Chemical Manufacturing Facility
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) addressed in a September 11th Order a Petition for Objection to a Title V Operating Permit for the Neville Chemical Company filed by Environmental Integrity Project and three other organizations. See Petition No. III-2024-22. The other three…
Construction Stormwater Enforcement: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Notice of Civil Penalty Assessment/Order Addressing Portland Site
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (“ODEQ”) issued a September 4th Notice of Civil Penalty Assessment and Order (“Notice”) to Central Transport, LLC (“CT”) and Crown Enterprises, LLC (“CE”). See Case No. WQ-SW-NWR-2025-538. The Notice states that CT and CE are the owner and operator…
Clean Air Act Judicial/Administrative Litigation Developments/2024-2025: October 9th Arkansas Environmental Federation Convention Presentation
I undertook a presentation at the Arkansas Environmental Federation Convention in Hot Springs on October 9th titled: Clean Air Act Judicial/Administrative Litigation Developments: 2024-2025. The presentation addressed a variety of federal and state air judicial decisions, air administrative…
Solar for All Program/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Rhode Island AFL-CIO Federal Judicial Action Challenging Program Termination
Seven organizations and an individual filed a October 6th Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief and Demand for Jury Trial (“Complaint”) against the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) challenging the decision to terminate the Solar for All program. The Plaintiff…