On her first day in office, Governor Sanders signed an executive order aimed at reducing government rules and regulations. This order mandates that all state departments, agencies, and offices must seek her approval before proposing any new rules or regulations. Further, for every new rule proposed, two existing rules must be repealed. The order emphasizes the administration’s policy that Arkansans and their businesses should not be burdened with unnecessary or overburdensome regulatory requirements.
This approach to governance can create an environment where regulatory oversight is diminished, potentially allowing companies with histories of environmental violations, such as Russelville’s Denali Water Solutions, to operate with less scrutiny.
We cannot trust Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to protect Arkansas’s environment when her administration has actively worked to weaken regulatory oversight, clearing the way for polluters like Denali to operate with minimal accountability. Denali has a documented history of environmental violations, including a $610,000 federal penalty for illegally overapplying sewage sludge on crops in Arizona and California, risking groundwater contamination with excess nitrogen. In Arkansas, the company has faced fines for applying waste to farmland within 24 hours of rain events, directly violating their permits. Despite these infractions, Sanders’s deregulatory agenda emboldens such companies, prioritizing industry interests over the health and well-being of Arkansas communities.
Arkansans, it’s time to wake up and smell the corruption—literally.
In Crawford County, a festering open-air lagoon owned by Denali Water Solutions has been polluting illegally and upending the lives of people across the country for years. CEO Todd Mathes took over the company in 2023, and has shown no signs of slowing down the company’s sludgefest, all the while touting its commitment to the environment.
Fort Smith residents know better. Denali has been dumping food waste and slaughterhouse byproducts in giant pits of guts and feces, allegedly turning it into “fertilizer” since 2019. Their operations have resulted in persistent air quality complaints and concerns about declining property values in nearby neighborhoods, all while the company continues to generate revenue from its waste processing activities. “People have seen loss of value for their property from this pit that smells like death,” resident and local attorney, Joey McCutchen, commented. The Waste Lagoon does smell like death because it is death. It is full of animal waste and discarded body parts of thousands of dead animals, commingling and rotting in the open air disrupting outdoor activities and ruining dining plans nearby.
Denali promised to shut down the waste lagoon in 2019 after intense community backlash. Fort Smith’s own mayor told residents the issue was “being resolved.” But surprise: Denali didn’t follow through. Fast forward to 2024, and residents were once again complaining of a “manure-like stench” of noxious fumes thick enough to ruin local businesses, trigger health concerns, and keep folks from attending public events.
It wasn’t until locals, McCutchen and restaurateur Bruce Spinas, filed a class action lawsuit, joined by a rising chorus of angry residents, that the state finally stirred. Even then, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) dragged its feet, issuing a paltry $19,800 fine in 2025 after years of violations (Arkansas Times, Apr. 2025).
Let’s be clear: that’s a speeding ticket for a company like Denali.
The legislature had to step in where ADEQ failed. Lawmakers passed a bill, Act 1009, forcing ADEQ to actually do its job and revoke permits after multiple violations. Only then did Denali start making promises again, this time saying it will “phase out” the lagoon by 2026, seven years after its first promise to do just that.
Forgive us if we don’t hold our breath (or maybe do—because the air still stinks).
This isn’t just about bad smells. This is about corporate irresponsibility, regulatory failure, and the lives of regular Arkansans who are paying the price. While Denali smiles for press releases about “sustainability” and “agricultural partnerships,” they’re dumping grease, offal, and blood into a lagoon where people live.
Contrary to what Governor Sanders believes, regulation actually protects people. The EPA and ADEQ exist for a reason. And Denali Water Solutions is out of line and out of time.
In an agricultural state like Arkansas, protecting clean air, water, and soil isn’t just common sense, it’s how we safeguard our people, our farms, and our future.
Enough is enough. We need full transparency. We need enforcement. Governor Sanders knows better, but her policies stink as much as the Waste Lagoon.