Mud flap
Company's plan for commercial soil farm draws protest

By Doug Russell, News Editor

KEOTA, Dec. 3 — The questions zinged like wind-blown grit, but representatives from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and a company that wants to put a “commercial soil farm” in just northeast of Keota seemed impervious to their sting.

And protestors left feeling like they were chasing a rabbit that just can’t be caught.

A small crowd, consisting of property owners, Haskell County Assessor Roger Ballard, District 1 Commissioner Kenneth Short and concerned citizens had gathered at the property off of County Road 4560 to question and protest the operation.

“First off, I need to know what you think is going in here,” said Mike Moore, a representative from the OCC’s Oil & Gas division.

The answers were quick in coming. “Contamination.” “Pollution.” “Waste.”

Moore tried to regain control of the meeting as people huddling in heavy coats peppered him with questions. “Why is Arkansas sending their waste to us?” “Define ‘commercial soil farming.’” “How often will this site be inspected?” “Who’s going to do the inspecting?” “Will the credibility of these gentlemen who want to bring this in be considered?”

“Not on this site,” Moore responded to the last.

That credibility is a big issue for the protesters, since the state of Arkansas recently revoked a soil farm permit for the parent company of the one that want to put in the site at Keota.

According to The Arkansas Leader, an Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality study of 11 land farms in that state “found areas of concern” in all. Half of those have since been shut down. The ADEQ found the land farms were “in violation of various clean air and water regulations,” including discharging waste into a stream that caused a fish kill.

Plainly frustrated, Moore said that he is not allowed to consider alleged past performance in determining whether a permit for the commercial soil farm near Keota should be granted, at which one observer said that’s like not checking an applicant for a childcare position for a past history of child or sexual abuse.

Dennis Dare, an OCC oil and gas inspector who lives in Latimer County, said he’d be inspecting the site. How often? “Whenever I feel like it, but it’ll be pretty regular.”

The site, Moore said, will have water-based drilling mud, water, and bentonite clay, which is used in cat litter and some makeup to absorb moisture. It will not be allowed to have any oil-based mud or other contaminates.

How can that be guaranteed?

“Every truck that comes in will be tested.”

And the people responsible for the testing, it turned out as the meeting progressed, work for ONG — the company that wants to put in the soil farm in the first place. “Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse,” one woman muttered.

Anyone wishing to write a letter of protest has 30 days from Dec. 1 to do so. Letters should be addressed to Mike Moore, Oklahoma Corporation Commission, P.O. Box 52000, Oklahoma City 73105-2000.

Staff writer Pennie Embry contributed to this story.

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