Reporting done as part of a three month investigation into a dam constructed on the Bayou Des Arc by the man who owns one of the U.S.'s top land brokerage firms in an area known for its duck hunting. The investigation found that the dam was built without any of the proper permits from the U.S. Corps of Engineers or the Division of Environmental Quality, and that the landowner claimed that the structure was "existing" despite aerial imagery appearing to show otherwise. A nearby property owner said that the original structure had been blown up decades ago by discontent neighbors after a previous owner had done the exact same thing. The federal government's investigation into the structure stretched was sluggish, making requests of state officials to take them up the Bayou to the dam and then never following through,  while local officials spoke of pressure from the Corps to do something about the structure before being pushed out of the process entirely.  It was eventually referred to the EPA for enforcement action, and the agency refused to disclose the status the proceedings.

One of 16 stories I wrote in 2024 about Arkansas' nascent lithium industry and the battle over what royalty companies eyeing business in the state should pay to extract the mineral. This one details the numerous objections to a proposal filed by five companies -- which was ultimately shot down by the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission in November -- by large businesses and individual mineral rights owners alike.