Beebe quizzed on natural gas drilling, federal spending

The first “Talk Politics” streamed live via Internet opened with tough questions for Gov. Mike Beebe related to natural gas drilling in Arkansas’ Fayetteville shale and oversight of the natural gas industry in the state.

The 30-minute Q&A — which you can view at this link — also included questions about federal spending, small business support and legislative redistricting. Beebe also commented on a recent National Labor Relations Board ruling of unfair labor practices by Boeing when the aerospace company located a plant in South Carolina. Because of the potential impact on right-to-work states, Beebe said the ruling “could be detrimental to Arkansas.” (The City Wire will follow up later today on this issue.)

A question from an individual in Newton County asked Beebe why he is “ignoring environmental damage” caused by the use of fracking chemicals and processes used to extract gas from the horizontal shale play.

“Sounds like to me that his mind is made up,” Beebe said of the pointed question.

But he followed by saying he sought and obtained a moratorium on injection wells related to earthquakes in central arkansas. And with regard to enforcement of environmental rules, Beebe said his administration has “beefed up” the number of inspectors. Money to pay the extra inspectors came from natural gas lease payments to the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. Beebe also said he is opposed to drilling under lakes and other important bodies of water.

“With a regard to a total moratorium on drilling, no I’m not for that,” Beebe said.

Another question asked Beebe to explain how it is good public policy that a majority of Arkansas Oil & Gas Commission members have financial interests in the industry.

“That’s a legitimate concern,” Beebe said, admitting that he has been guilty of appointing people to boards and commissions who have direct ties to the respective industry.

However, Beebe said it is important that members of board and commissions have an understanding of the industry. He said many are interested in following the law because they don’t want to see another company get an unfair advantage. He also noted that he recently appointed a person to the Oil and Gas Commission “who has no connection whatsoever” to the industry.

Continuing, he said it is his goal on many boards and commissions is to get someone outside the industry who can push a “consumer standpoint.”

SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT
A less pointed question focused on what Beebe is doing to support small business.

Beebe acknowledged that small businesses don’t get the attention they deserve, but said they “build a backbone across the country.”

As an example of his small business support, Beebe attended on Tuesday the announcement by Novus International that it is expanding from eight to 40 jobs. While Novus is a large, multi-national concern, its Little Rock operation has a small workforce. The advanced manufacturer makes high-quality animal feed for the poultry, pork, cattle and aquaculture industries at its Arkansas plant.

Collaboration between Arkansas’ research universities and entrepreneurs is also something he supports as a way to boost small business growth. He said Arkansas’ higher education incubator system is doing a good job of “spinning off some small companies” began by entrepreneurs.

FEDERAL SPENDING
Beebe straddled the political fence on a question about federal spending. The question asked Beebe what he thought about the call for cuts in federal spending mixed with calls for the federal government to do more to help with natural disasters.

“Ironic, isn’t it?” Beebe immediately responded.

He further noted the irony using Texas Gov. Rick Perry as an example. He said Perry has “blasted” the federal government for its deficit spending, but has lately complained that the federal government (FEMA) is not doing enough to support recovery efforts after a series of destructive wildfires.

However, Beebe did say federal government is too big and “interferes too much.” He said federal bureaucrats can “way overreach” and dictate how Arkansas manages social service programs “when Arkansans would know better” how to manage such efforts.

“Sometimes the left hand tells you to do one thing and the right hand tells you do to the opposite,” Beebe said of some federal involvement.

Specifically, he said Medicaid rules mandated from Washington don’t always reflect realities at the state level, adding that he prefers a system allowing “the family be a guiding light and not the bureaucrat” in making critical end-of-life health care decisions.

He added that the assassination of Osama Bin Laden by a U.S. Navy SEAL team is a “great example” of what the federal government does better than anyone.

LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING
On the topic of legislative redistricting, Beebe was asked if his approach will be to stick as close as possible to old lines, or move the lines irrespective of traditional locations.

Beebe,  Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin make up the apportionment board that is tasked to redraw legislative districts. New district lines are required every 10 years following release of U.S. Census figures.

Beebe said “communities of interest” will be considered, but his first priority is to “follow the law on those (mandated district population) numbers.”

He said several groups have approached members of the apportionment board with maps of how they would prefer their area to be redrawn, but the complexity comes in making all the districts around the state fit based on narrow requirements of law.

“We are already getting tons of input from legislators,” Beebe said.

A series of public meetings will be held around the state to get public input on the process, and “more credible maps” will then be put up for consideration. Beebe stressed that it is his goal to get as much input as possible before establishing new lines.

POWER SHIFT
A question from a Siloam Springs viewer wanted to know if Beebe would talk about the shifting political power in the Arkansas House and Senate. The November 2010 election saw Republicans capture 45 seats in the 100-member House and 15 seats in the 35-seat Senate.

“I’m amazed at times at how little power a Governor has,” Beebe quipped, adding that any governor must work with the Legislature “and should be mindful that they are a co-equal branch of government.

Of the Republicans in the House and Senate, Beebe said some were awful and some were great.

“And I could say the same about Democrats,” he said. “Democrats don’t have all the answers and they don’t have the corner on wisdom, and Republicans are Americans and Arkansans and they ought to be working together.”

ABOUT ‘TALK POLITICS’
This year, "Talk Politics" will feature a series of 12 one-on-one, 30-minute Q&A sessions with high-ranking Arkansas elected officials who will answer questions from citizens on a variety of topics and current events.

Through the use of Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, Ustream video, and our existing production capabilities, "Talk Politics" will seek questions from our intimate political audience for several days in advance of a one-on-one interview. Brock will pose the questions to a political guest and seek input from viewers throughout the half-hour session via Twitter, Facebook and Ustream’s chat forum.

Content from a completed Q&A will be disseminated through our TV, radio, print and web content partners and made available to all media in Arkansas through video and audio formats.

U.S. Sens. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., and Mark Pryor, D-Ark., have also committed to appear in upcoming forums. Invitations are being extended to Arkansas’ four Congressmen. Beebe has agreed to appear every other month on the program.