Senate committee advances bill adding Buffalo and Duck River segments to Class II pastoral designation

The Senate Energy, Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 1590, a measure offered by Senator Roberts to extend Class II pastoral river designations to remaining sections of the Buffalo and Duck rivers and certain tributary creeks.

Senator Roberts told the committee that portions of the Buffalo and Duck rivers had already been designated Class II pastoral and that the bill "simply adds the rest of the Buffalo and the Duck River to that designation along with some of the creeks that flow into the Duck Or Buffalo River." He offered to answer questions but the committee took no substantive amendments.

Procedure and vote: The chair moved the bill and Vice Chair Lowe seconded. The committee secretary polled members and the chair announced the result: 7 ayes, 2 absent. The chair announced the bill "moves to calendar."

Why it matters: Class II pastoral river designation typically affects permitted uses, conservation priorities and permitting review along river segments. By adding remaining Buffalo and Duck River segments to that classification, the bill would expand the geographic coverage of the existing pastoral‑river regime (text of the bill and statutory citations were not read into the record in this hearing).

Next steps: The bill was reported to the calendar for further consideration by the Senate. Senator Roberts said he would be available to answer more detailed questions if members ‘‘want me to get into the weeds on it.’"

Quote from the hearing:
"This bill simply, adds the rest of the Buffalo and the Duck River to that designation along with some of the creeks that, flow into the Duck Or Buffalo River," Senator Roberts said.

Ending: With the bill advanced to the calendar and no further business pending, the committee adjourned.