Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 445 of the Regular Session
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 368 3
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By: Senator Irvin 5
By: Representative M. Shepherd 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING MINERAL, TIMBER, 9
AND OTHER RESOURCES ON STATE LANDS; TO REDUCE 10
MEMBERSHIP OF THE NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE; TO 11
AMEND THE STATE AGENCIES REQUIRED TO RECEIVE 12
NOTIFICATION RELATED TO LEASES AND PERMITS FOR 13
MINERAL, TIMBER, AND OTHER RESOURCES ON STATE LANDS; 14
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 15
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Subtitle 18
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING MINERAL, 19
TIMBER, AND OTHER RESOURCES ON STATE 20
LANDS; TO REDUCE MEMBERSHIP OF THE 21
NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE; AND TO 22
AMEND THE NOTIFICATION RELATED TO LEASES 23
AND PERMITS. 24
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 26
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 22 -5-804(a), concerning the membership of 28
the Natural Resources Committee, is amended to read as follows: 29
(a)(1) The Natural Resources Committee is created and shall be 30
composed of the following members: 31
(A) The Secretary of the Department of Finance and 32
Administration or his or her designee ; 33
(B) The Director of Production and Conservation of the Oil 34
and Gas Commission Secretary of the Department of Energy and Environment or 35
his or her designee; 36 SB368
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(C) The State Geologist; 1
(D) The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture or his 2
or her designee; 3
(E)(D) The Commissioner of State Lands or his or her 4
designee; 5
(F)(E) The Executive Secretary of the Arkansas State Game 6
and Fish Commission or his or her designee ; 7
(G)(F) The Secretary of the Department of Parks, Heritage, 8
and Tourism or his or her designee ; 9
(H) The Director of the Division of Environmental Quality; 10
and 11
(I)(G) The Chair of the Arkansas Natural Heritage 12
Commission or his or her designee . 13
(2) A member of the committee may designate a person within the 14
member's organization to attend meetings and conduct committee business on 15
the member's behalf. 16
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 22 -5-807(a), concerning notice to and 18
recommendations from interested agencies related to leases and permits on 19
state lands related to mineral, timber, and other resources, is amended to 20
read as follows: 21
(a) When an application for a lease or permit is filed with the 22
Commissioner of State Lands for the taking or production of any sand, gravel, 23
oil, natural gas, casinghead gas, coal, or other minerals or the severance of 24
any timber or logs from state -owned lands, the Commissioner of State Lands 25
shall so notify the Office of the State Geologist, the Arkansas Natural 26
Resources Commission, the Oil and Gas Commission, the Arkansas State Game and 27
Fish Commission, the Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, the Division 28
of Environmental Quality, the Arkansas Forestry Commission, the Department of 29
Energy and Environment, and any other appropriate state agency that has or 30
may have a particular interest in the area proposed to be covered by the 31
lease or permit. 32
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APPROVED: 4/3/25 35
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