Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development - Senate

Order. Of not nearly grow with it in times past. We have a pager the. We have guests here today would you like to tell us. The shared love this. Are you on introduce our guests fifty you would turn your Michael thank you Mr chair of this chair I do have for students from park view high school this is a visiting with me today that these are gonna be my put my pages my idea Jana John in Jordan so if you all could please welcome them out I would appreciate it if. I will tell you that to when we were talking about choosing committees earlier in the year that told me didn't have to be a farmer drive a tractor to be able to serve on a committee done a good job so we're thankful to have him here and welcome of what I'd like to explain one thing about to committee meetings it in and that is they're open to the public you can come anytime you don't have to be invited if you have the subject matter if there's a bill here that you want to speak for or speak against you have just as much a ride is any lobbyist or any lawyer to come and speak so just a little background on on how the the process work but will. Okay. Turnstone you'll present your amendment the vortices. Thank you. I'm sure. I am glad. I've got an amendment to the. For sure I will member to your bill. This section for us at our districts before of seven. I'm sorry Keonjhar. I'm sorry I'm three zero. You were the one over the. Senator Senator Ricky from. Besides. Read. Sergey. Zero. We're letting go ahead for. Time out with the we love to quorum fiddling with your. If you turn your microphone introduce yourself for the record you're recognized Mickey state Senate six thank you Mr chairman. we're told that Senate bill four to yes if you would please a committee of got an amendment four seven. Senate bill four seven I've gotten Amendment. Committee would. this is just something that was redundant redundant that we eliminated out of the bill and change the spelling of a word to. The appropriate spelling of the word. All in favor the members say aye All opposed members adopted thank you very much you're recognized for the bill for session Mr chairman Senate bill four oh seven basically just seeks to put Arkansas on record as far as where we. stand this is a place to Arkansas is not really touched on with our law I think it's a place that we need to go place our country's going surrounding states and done this in foreign countries it just puts our state in the best possible footing for competitive reasons and making sure that these industries have all options on the table I'd be happy to answer any questions. Committee anyone have a question. I do have tears Love. Thank you Mr so Senator Hickey I was reading through the bill and I'm on page two on line thirty three. And so. I think I think I understand where we're going but there was just something that kind of grab my attention in regards to was line thirty three in its says by energy produced from biomass is consider renewable. In carbon neutral. However biomass while it is renewable. It is not it does have a carbon footprint is not carbon neutral so can you talk to me about this this particular part. Yes thank you senator love I'm not a Forster but I know some and I'm not an expert in this industry but I know that Arkansas has some of the most robust force in the nation and we have very good management practices now. Included in this bill the only thing that makes this biomass and its power generation possibilities carbon neutral is our reforestation that occurs after harvest. With the the reforestation and the new growth absorbs that carbon absorbs those those byproducts of the of the generation and makes it carbon neutral. That makes sense no you are either so it's dependent upon that if we were to just go in cut down all the trees and burn not carbon neutral. But because we continually re plant and we manage that forced the system that creates neutrality. There's probably people that could explain it better me. But I've cut down tree one time in a given this bill and I said okay. Any other questions committee. There's no more. In the past feel free to jump in on this because what since you are the Forster on the table at the table here but did want to leverage little bit more to your to your point Senator Ricky you made the statement about how we manage forests and timber in Arkansas when we have what is called best management practices their self imposed Regulations on the industry itself and how they operate how they manage forest how they you know manage the the growth have a basically work toward conservation of that in the fact that they do all the necessary practices like like burning the the undergrowth like thinning the forest things of that nature so would you agree that when all of that is taken consideration to your point that with that continued growth and a continued expanding of this industry it is carbon neutral it is carbon neutral and thank you for that question it is carbon neutral and and it's because of those management practices that we have more trees and health your force then we did a hundred years ago and so that's a very valuable resource that we don't take for granted sure stone. Well I didn't feel the need to jump in Senator Ricky was doing a fine job of explaining that thought that you would rattle rattle target what you say it also in Arkansas I think a lot of people don't realize it but we're growing more tons of fiber every year they were harvesting according to the university Arkansas Monticello Forster department between January first of this year in December thirty first of this year we ought to increase our fiber capacity in the state in additional twenty million tonnes above what is harvested so wanted twenty million times looks like it'll be about seven hundred fifteen thousand loaded log trucks so we're not running out of timber we are carbon neutral and that's for new. That's come out every year. Your questions from committee. No one signed up to speak for against but if there is anyone in the audience that will speak for against would allow. If not to to review your clothes for your bill I'll close appreciate a good vote thank you. Motion to put. As amended motion do pass as amended second all in favor say aye aye aye All opposed congratulations thank you Committee. Thunderstone as not all run his bill. And the. Well we're within I do not want to introduce the two good friends walked in a little bit after I made my opening comments to Rick and rated option or good friends of mine from of pre County it is our welcome and so again let have you all here. No other business we're Jr.