The United States Corps of Engineers (Vicksburg District) (“Corps”) issued a January 23rd Public Notice referencing a Clean Water Act Section 404 application for the placement of dredged and fill material in waters of the United States by Canfor Southern Pine Inc. (“Canfor”). See MVK-2022-324.
Canfor’s application indicates that the activity will involve expanding an existing sawmill in Union County, Arkansas.
The new facilities within the proposed sawmill expansion are stated to include:
- Expanded log storage yard
- Log crane
- Truck staging
- Chip and saw dust tower
- Product storage
Canfor is described in the Public Notice as one of the world’s largest producers of sustainable lumber, pulp and paper. Further, it is described as a North American leader in green energy production.
The purpose of the expansion is stated to include enlargement of capacity and improvement of efficiency of the existing sawmill.
The sawmill is projected to produce:
- Softwood dimensional lumber
- Wood chips
- Wood shavings
- Residuals
Such materials would be produced from regionally sourced southern yellow pine.
The Public Notice describes impacts associated with the proposed plant as consisting of:
- Approximately 4.67 acres of wetlands
- Approximately 787.17 linear feet of streams
- Approximately 0.41 acre of pond
Approximately 48, 941.22 cubic yards of earthen material and approximately 4,158.50 cubic yards of lime material would be placed in the jurisdictional areas.
The Public Notice also addresses:
- Cultural resources
- Endangered species
- Floodplain
- Evaluation factors
- Public involvement
- Opportunity for a public hearing
A copy of the Public Notice can be downloaded here.
The Between the Lines blog is made available by Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. and the law firm publisher. The blog site is for educational purposes only, as well as to give general information and a general understanding of the law. This blog is not intended to provide specific legal advice. Use of this blog site does not create an attorney client relationship between you and Mitchell Williams or the blog site publisher. The Between the Lines blog site should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.