The Leader

House must kill water bill

__You have to wonder about the 22 state senators who voted Monday against the public interest in favor of a fancy residential development at Lake Maumelle that could limit the future water supply for this area.
__ Deltic Timber Corp. of El Dorado, a subsidiary of Murphy Oil Co., had those 22 senators in its pockets as they voted against the people of central Arkansas who need clean, not dirty, water from Lake Maumelle.
__ Senate Bill 230 prohibits Central Arkansas Water from condemning Deltic Timber's land near the lake. Development there will pollute the water and will cost millions of dollars to purify before it gets to Jacksonville and Cabot.
__ The area's three senators – John Paul Capps of Searcy, Mary Anne Salmon of North Little Rock and Bobby Glover of Carlisle – voted against the special interests and stood up for the people who will need more water if this area is to grow and prosper.
__ Even during the bad old days before term limits, the political bosses who ran the Ledge knew they couldn't sell out the public on basic necessities such as water and electricity. Makes one nostalgic for the days before term limits. It doesn't take much to convince the amateurs in the Ledge to abandon the public interest.
__ Free lunch at the Capital Hotel or a time-share condo overlooking a lake will get a bill passed that benefits only a few dozen people. Everyone else must wonder where their water will come from in 10 years.
__ This terrible bill now goes before the House, where perhaps – just maybe – reason will prevail and development around the lake is halted. Central Arkansas Water must not give up this fight and should consider going to court if necessary to stop the pollution of Lake Maumelle and ensure the future water supply for our area.

EDITORIAL>>	House must kill water bill __You have to wonder about the 22 state senators who voted Monday against the public interest in favor of a fancy residential development at Lake Maumelle that could limit the future water supply for this area. __ Deltic Timber Corp. of El Dorado, a subsidiary of Murphy Oil Co., had those 22 senators in its pockets as they voted against the people of central Arkansas who need clean, not dirty, water from Lake Maumelle. __ Senate Bill 230 prohibits Central Arkansas Water from condemning Deltic Timber's land near the lake. Development there will pollute the water and will cost millions of dollars to purify before it gets to Jacksonville and Cabot. __ The area's three senators – John Paul Capps of Searcy, Mary Anne Salmon of North Little Rock and Bobby Glover of Carlisle – voted against the special interests and stood up for the people who will need more water if this area is to grow and prosper. __ Even during the bad old days before term limits, the political bosses who ran the Ledge knew they couldn't sell out the public on basic necessities such as water and electricity. Makes one nostalgic for the days before term limits. It doesn't take much to convince the amateurs in the Ledge to abandon the public interest. __ Free lunch at the Capital Hotel or a time-share condo overlooking a lake will get a bill passed that benefits only a few dozen people. Everyone else must wonder where their water will come from in 10 years. __ This terrible bill now goes before the House, where perhaps – just maybe – reason will prevail and development around the lake is halted. Central Arkansas Water must not give up this fight and should consider going to court if necessary to stop the pollution of Lake Maumelle and ensure the future water supply for our area.	{right}