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Arkansas Pollution Control
and Ecology Commission 3800 Richards Rd North Little Rock, AR 72117 (501) 682-7890 |
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Commission HistoryThe Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission was first established in 1949 as part of the Arkansas Water Pollution Control Act (Act 472 of 1949). Since that time, it has undergone significant changes - including a reorganization in 1991 and state government transformation in 2019 and again in 2023. The Commission is the environmental policy-making body for Arkansas. With guidance from the Governor, the Legislature, the EPA and others, the Commission determines the environmental policy for the state and the Division of Environmental Quality implements those policies. Though the Commission and the Division of Environmental Quality work closely, each is distinctly different. The Commission is comprised of seven (7) members, three (3) representing state agencies and four (4) appointed by the Governor. The three (3) agency representatives are directors - or their designee - of the:
The four (4) other members of the Commission represent each of the four congressional districts in the state. The Commission employs two people:
By law, the Commission must meet four times each year. In practicality, they meet once a month with the exception of November. 
Commission Legislative HistoryAct 472 of 1949 - Established the Water Pollution Control Commission as a part of the State Board of Health. Its original membership consisted of the directors of four state agencies: the State Board of Health, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission and the Resources and Development Commission. The Commission also had three citizen members, each appointed by the Governor to represent interest areas of industry, municipalities and agriculture and livestock. Act 232 of 1953 - Added to the Commission members the director of the State Forestry and Parks Commission. Act 503 of 1963 - Required the Commission to appoint a director "who shall handle such correspondence make and arrange such inspections or investigations, and obtain and assemble or propose such reports and data as the Commission may direct and authorize, and who shall be the executive officer and active administrator of all pollution control activities and shall have such other delegated powers and duties as the Commission may direct or authorize." Act 183 of 1965 - Changed the Commission's name to the Arkansas Pollution Control Commission, added authority for air pollution control, removed the Commission from the Health Department and changed the state agency membership. The new composition of the Commission included the directors of five state agencies: the State Board of Health, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Oil and Gas Commission, the Natural Resources Commission and the State Forestry Commission. The three appointed member representatives remained unchanged. Act 236 of 1971 - Added two members to the Commission: the State Geologist and a representative of the state's mining industry. The special-interest representative was appointed by the Governor. Act 38 of 1971 - State government reorganization act; created the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and provided that the Department Director would be nominated by the Commission and confirmed by the Governor with consent of the State Senate. Act 930 of 1985 - Added another member to the Commission and clarified the qualifications of one of the positions to be appointed by the Governor. The additional member, appointed by the Governor, was required to be a member of an organization which belonged to the Arkansas Conservation Coalition. The change in the qualifications of another appointee, a representative of municipalities, was changed to the designation of a representative of city or county government. Act 744 of 1991 - Restructured the Commission as follows: Increased the size of the Commission to 13 members by adding two positions to be appointed by the Governor and removed the specific interest area designations for the gubernatorial appointees and required that private citizen appointees "... have knowledge or expertise in matters within the jurisdiction of the Commission including government, business or industry, agriculture and livestock, forestry, health, ecology, recreation and tourism and geology." Other changes required each congressional district in the state to be represented by at least one of the seven private citizen appointees and provided that no district could have more than two appointees. Also, the act prohibited elected city, county or state officials from serving on the Commission after the expiration of any current member's term and prohibited the six state agency members from serving as chairman or vice chairman. The new act required the presence of nine members as a quorum to conduct business, modified the procedures for issuance and revocation of wastewater discharge permits and for appeals of permit decisions involving wastewater discharges. The changes also removed the selection of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality Director from the Commission's authority and placed the selection process directly with the Governor, subject to Senate confirmation. Act 1230 of 1991 - Clarified the powers and duties of the Commission and the DEQ Director. Act 910 of 2019 - Restructured and increased the size of the Commission to 15 members by adding an additional position appointed by the Governor and adding the Secretary of Agriculture. Act 704 of 2023 - Restructured and decreased the size of the Commission to 7 members.
Commission MembersQuestions/Comments for the Commissioners
Contact Information
Commission Staff
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