AGFC general counsel: Sharing money could harm funding
In an e-mail to Arkansas Game and Fish Commissioners sent Wednesday, AGFC General Counsel Jim Goodhart warned that the commission could jeopardize some of its federal funding if it shares with other agencies some of the revenues from a $29.5 million natural gas drilling lease. Goodhart said Friday that the commission receives as much as $20 million annually from the federal agency.
Whether this development eventually leads to a major review of the commission's funding sources and the revenue from the 1/8 cent conservation tax that was incorporated into the Arkansas Constitution by Arkansas voters as Amendment 75 is yet to be seen. In other words, not sharing the money could harm its funding as well. One thing the commission may want to consider is that this could become a powder keg in the making in the legislature.
Some lawmakers on the left are concerned about the environmental impact of drilling in a wildlife management area, lawmakers on the right aren't happy about the additional millions in revenue without even a word of returning some of it to the taxpayers, and everyone is raising questions about the loss of a non-renewable resource, all to the benefit of one state agency. They sent out a public notice of their Monday meeting to authorize the leases with Cheseapeake at 4:19 p.m. on Friday, but to their credit, they've been up front about seeking potential revenue opportunities associated with natural gas exploration in various WMA's. At the very least, we're likely to see a debate in the next session over whether a procedure for the leasing of public lands to mineral exploration be implemented. Here's more from the Associated Press.
The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission budget:
Whether this development eventually leads to a major review of the commission's funding sources and the revenue from the 1/8 cent conservation tax that was incorporated into the Arkansas Constitution by Arkansas voters as Amendment 75 is yet to be seen. In other words, not sharing the money could harm its funding as well. One thing the commission may want to consider is that this could become a powder keg in the making in the legislature.
Some lawmakers on the left are concerned about the environmental impact of drilling in a wildlife management area, lawmakers on the right aren't happy about the additional millions in revenue without even a word of returning some of it to the taxpayers, and everyone is raising questions about the loss of a non-renewable resource, all to the benefit of one state agency. They sent out a public notice of their Monday meeting to authorize the leases with Cheseapeake at 4:19 p.m. on Friday, but to their credit, they've been up front about seeking potential revenue opportunities associated with natural gas exploration in various WMA's. At the very least, we're likely to see a debate in the next session over whether a procedure for the leasing of public lands to mineral exploration be implemented. Here's more from the Associated Press.
The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission budget:
| Funding Source | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
| Fund balances 1/8 Conservation Tax Federal Funds Special Revenues Gas Lease Revenue Non-revenue receipts Other-operating reserve Total Funding Excess Appropriation Grand Total | $5,000,000 27,068,936 22,615,721 20,650,000 15,000,000 4,969,901 (5,000,000) 90,304,558 15,733,208 106,037,766 | $5,000,000 28,259,969 22,615,721 20,650,000 5,000,000 4,969,901 (5,000,000) 81,495,591 13,951,098 95,446,689 |
posted by Steve Harrelson @ 8/01/2008 08:11:00 PM | Permalink |
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