FORT SMITH, Ark. (TB&P) — Fort Smith Administrator Carl Geffken said discussions with the Environmental Protection Agency Jan. 29 went well.
Geffken met with Region 6 EPA Administrator Ken McQueen in Dallas to argue the city’s case for federal consent decree relief.
McQueen, appointed Aug. 5, 2019, is a presidential appointee who came to the job from the energy industry. He most recently worked as the New Mexico Cabinet Secretary for the Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Depart from 2016 to 2018.
In arguments for relief, Geffken referenced that Fort Smith has a 25% poverty rate and 25% of the children in Fort Smith schools suffer food insecurity.
“Our median household income is not $40,000, or we have not seen results of that. If it is that, it would be a 9.5% jump in one year,” Geffken said. “We are at or near 2% guideline level set by the government (regarding the amount of the medium income that can be dedicated to water and sewer bills.)”
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