A quiet fiscal session coming?

Legislature, State government

By Steve Brawner, © 2024 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

When legislators gather at the Arkansas State Capitol starting April 10 for their every-two-year fiscal session, they’ll be considering the governor’s budget, her plan for increasing state employee salaries, and the state’s growing collection of noisy crypto mines.

But in contrast to those crypto mines, the session itself could be relatively quiet.

Voters created the biennial fiscal session through a constitutional amendment in 2008. It occurs in even-numbered years between the longer regular sessions. Those occur in odd-numbered years.  

Fiscal sessions are supposed to focus on budget matters. Legislators can consider other issues with a two-thirds vote by both the House and Senate, but they generally try to save those discussions for the regular session. The fiscal sessions can last no more than 30 days. Lawmakers can extend them once by no more than 15 days with a three-fourths vote by both chambers. Continue reading A quiet fiscal session coming? →

Arkansas lithium could be huge, thinks Exxon

Business and economics

By Steve Brawner, © 2024 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Could Arkansas be on the verge of a lithium boom? Many – including ExxonMobil experts – think so. 

In fact, the state eventually could produce as much as 15% of the world’s finished lithium supply, said Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald at the inaugural Arkansas Lithium Innovation Summit Feb. 15-16.

Lithium is the key element in the batteries that power everything from phones to electric cars. In many ways, it’s the 21st century’s oil. Much of the current lithium supply comes from overseas, and much of that comes from China. 

The summit brought to Little Rock nearly 700 energy sector executives, policymakers and stakeholders. Some are investing big dollars here, including ExxonMobil, Standard Lithium, and Albemarle. The latter is already a major bromine producer in Arkansas with a workforce of 675 in the Magnolia area.

Patrick Howarth, ExxonMobil’s lithium global business manager, said that in the last 12 months, his company has built a leading acreage position in south Arkansas. (It acquired the rights to 120,000 gross acres in early 2023.) It’s also started the state’s largest lithium drilling campaign, conducted engineering design work on multiple projects, and showcased its Arkansas projects to global customers. He said the state “could be the center of the industry here in North America.” Continue reading Arkansas lithium could be huge, thinks Exxon →

Asa pulling for No Labels, but won’t be candidate

Elections

By Steve Brawner, © 2024 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson hopes No Labels fields a competitive independent presidential candidate this November. It just won’t be him. 

“The short answer is that I want No Labels to have a strong candidate and I am not the right one,” Hutchinson wrote in a text March 11. “They need someone with a bigger profile and money. And I have a number of options in [the] private sector that are appealing.”

He said it is “premature” to elaborate on those options, so I asked him if he wanted to expand on why he, a lifelong Republican, has hopes for No Labels.

“Just like many Americans, I am not excited about a Trump candidacy and I will not endorse him,” he texted. “And I don’t support Biden. I ran for President because we needed an alternative beyond Trump and Biden and I still believe that is true.” Continue reading Asa pulling for No Labels, but won’t be candidate →

Arkansas prepares for eclipse visitors, traffic

Business and economics

By Steve Brawner, © 2024 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

If you venture past your driveway April 8 in Arkansas, you may be sharing the road with a lot of out-of-staters. On the other hand, there won’t be any highway construction, and there’s a good chance there won’t be any school buses where you are.

Those were some of the takeaways from a press conference March 4 hosted by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and cabinet officials about the upcoming solar eclipse. 

I’m sure you’ve heard about this. If not, boy, you will. 

On the afternoon of April 8, the moon will completely obscure the sun for about four minutes. The eclipse will occur along a path of totality stretching across nearly two-thirds of Arkansas from its southwestern to its northeastern corners. Ninety-four percent of the state will experience at least a partial eclipse. Continue reading Arkansas prepares for eclipse visitors, traffic →