Arkansas

State water projects get $83.4M in funding, including $80M loan to Central Arkansas Water | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Published

2 years ago

September 19, 2024

State water projects get .4M in funding, including M loan to Central Arkansas Water | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Wednesday an additional $83,443,495 in financial assistance for nine water and wastewater projects that will serve more than 271,786 Arkansans, according to a release Wednesday night from the governor’s office.

The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission approved the funding Wednesday.

“My administration is working hard to improve Arkansas’ water systems, and the additional $80 million in funding we’re announcing today will help communities around the state,” Sanders said in the release. “It is critical Arkansans have access to safe drinking water.”

The projects receiving funding are:

* The Arkansas Environmental Training Academy in Camden, which will receive a $232,840 grant from the Clean Water Revolving Fund for wastewater operator training.

* Central Arkansas Water in Pulaski County, which will receive an $80,000,000 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 156,000. This is an increase in funding to the existing Jack H. Wilson Treatment Plant improvement project.

* Magazine in Logan County will receive a $2,046,080 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 391. This is an increase in funding for the existing wastewater collection and treatment rehabilitation project.

* Mountain Top Suburban Improvement District No. 66 in Garland County will receive a $570,000 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 67. This is an increase in funding for the existing wastewater treatment plant project.

* Newton County, on behalf of Compton Water Association, is receiving an $83,070 loan from the Water Development Fund to rehabilitate its 100,000-gallon standpipe. The project serves a current customer base of 348.

* Newton County, on behalf of Nail-Swain Water Association, is receiving two $74,160 loans totaling $148,320 from the Water Development Fund to rehabilitate two water tanks. The project serves a current customer base of 379.

* Tri-County Regional Water Distribution District in Pope County will receive a $363,185 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 8,101. This is an increase in funding for the existing project for wastewater collection and treatment rehabilitation.

Two entities received approval for a scope modification to their existing projects without any changes to the funding.

* Helena-West Helena in Phillips County previously received an $11,000,000 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund in February 2024. The project serves a current customer base of 5,500.

* Lonoke White Public Water Authority in Cleburne County previously received a $12,970,441 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund in January 2023. The project serves a current customer base of 101,000.

Sanders announced in August the first phase of the Arkansas Water Plan had been completed by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Along with state partners, Sanders has provided more than $2.5 billion for water development projects in all 75 counties using state and federal funds.

“While we often take it for granted, adequate water and wastewater infrastructure is critical to the quality of life of every Arkansan and the sustainability of communities and industries throughout the state,” Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward said in the release. “Since day one of her administration, water has been a top priority for Governor Sanders, and we are thankful for her continued leadership that will ensure that our state maintains our attractive high quality of life and is well-positioned in the future.”

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Arkansas

Arkansas Governor joins national A.I. workforce initiative

Published

9 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas Governor joins national A.I. workforce initiative

LITTLE ROCK, AR (KATV) — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has joined a new national artificial intelligence initiative that launched Thursday, June 25.

RAISE US, started by former Governor Eric Holcomb of Indiana and Gina Raimondo, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce is a nonpartisan national organization that will partner with governors, employers, workers and training organizations to help the workforce transition to an AI economy.

“As artificial intelligence transforms America’s economy, we have one clear message: technology should empower people, not replace them. By leveraging our Arkansas LAUNCH initiative, and with the resources and expertise provided by RAISE US, Arkansas will turn that mission into reality. We want the Natural State to be a leader on education, workforce training, and up-skilling, and this new partnership gives us the tools we need to build a model for the entire nation.”

The organization will design and pilot incentives to retrain workers, new approaches to support job transitions, and training models tied to employer demand.

RAISE US launches with more than two dozen American companies and philanthropies and initial state partnerships in Connecticut, Maryland and Utah.

“America has a technology strategy for leading the global AI competition. It does not yet have a people strategy — and we cannot lead without one,” Raimondo, who will serve as CEO of RAISE US, said.

“If we build the best AI systems in the world and leave millions of Americans behind, we won’t have won anything; we’ll have automated our own decline. I believe AI will create new jobs and industries over time, but the transition could be disruptive, and it’s already underway. We shouldn’t fearmonger, but we can’t pretend our training and worker support systems are ready either. It’s time for innovative and practical solutions. This moment demands ambition, urgency, and creativity. We’ve assembled the country’s top companies, best economists, and bipartisan governors at a scale rarely seen — all to advance new ideas and incentives, pilot them with governors and business, and scale what works.”

Governor Sanders is partnering with RAISE US to support Arkansas LAUNCH, an AI-powered career navigation platform that connects students and jobseekers to personalized learning and employer-linked career pathways.

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