Monthly Archives: June 2009

What does Honduras have to do with the Ozarks?

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Harry Styron

Ozarkers think of themselves as the real people, the salt of the earth, practical, not putting on airs, skeptical but tolerant, willing to help those in need. Our first impulse in meeting someone new is to figure out whether that person is from around here. My guess is that these characteristics are a universal part of human nature in which the question “friend or foe?” is the first issue at the first encounter.

If our first impulse is to stand our own ground, why should we be interested or concerned about what happens in one of the many countries of Central America, especially one as poor as Honduras, whose military just removed the president and sent him into exile in Costa Rica?

Honduras has been an independent republic for as long as Missouri has been a state (since 1821). Honduras is about the size of Tennessee, with a long northern coastline on the Caribbean and a small Pacific coast on the Gulf of Fonseca in the south. The population of Honduras is just under 8 million (like Missouri, Iowa and Arkansas combined), with a per capita annual income of about $4,400 (compared to around $20,000 in the Ozarks).

I don’t have a good feel for Honduran politics, so I’ll let Max Carranza  tell his version (shortened by me) of recent events: Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted in economic development, Missouri economy, Ozarks, Ozarks economy and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Missouri PSC asserts jurisdiction over one tiny utility company, but many others escape

Posted on June 24, 2009 by Harry Styron

Water and sewer services to residences and businesses are essential. Most of us take for granted that the operations of those who provide these services are reliable and are regulated. In reality, many water and sewer providers fall through several holes in Missouri’s statutory framework of regulation by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC).

DNR’s regulations

DNR sets engineering standards for water wells, treatment and storage facilities, and distribution systems (mains and valves). DNR licenses well drillers and maintains a registry describing each water well, based on data required to be submitted by well drillers. DNR does not regulate rates charged by water sellers, but does require that permanent entity (called a “continuing authority”) be established for each water system serving more than 15 users. A continuing authority for water is required to show DNR that it has the technical, managerial and financial capacity to operate the system, or at least that’s what the rules say. DNR implements its regulations by requiring submittal of engineering plans for the issuance of construction permits and certfications from private engineers that water and sewer facilities are completed according to the approved plans before issuance of operating and discharge permits. DNR also licenses operators of water and sewer facilities. Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted in economic development, homeowner association, Missouri, Missouri economy, Missouri law, Ozarks, Ozarks economy, real estate development, real estate law and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Fathers of my understanding of the Ozarks

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Harry Styron

Someone looking at my life could correctly observe that my life’s work has consisted of absorbing all I can about the history, economy and people of the Ozarks. I began this undertaking as a youngster at the Newton County Library in Neosho in about 1960, probably with a book by Vance Randolph or the Chapmans’ Indians and Archaeology of Missouri.

Much of what I have learned about life in the Ozarks has come from living and working in the Ozarks. But what I’ve learned from books and scholars has given me a mental framework for organizing what I have learned and helps me to be a better observer. Read the rest of this entry →

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Table Rock Lake and the cost of economic activity

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Harry Styron

Kathleen O’Dell’s article about the economic impact of Table Rock Lake in today’s Springfield News-Leader, entitled “Table Rock Dam Gives Much Back to Area,” covers a lot of ground in describing the various kinds of economic activities that are related to the construction and continued existence of Table Rock Lake.

In an economic sense, is the Table Rock Lake area fit (efficient and nimble) or obese (expensive to maintain and subject to falls)? As pointed out below, the two counties most affected by Table Rock Lake have experienced the area’s lowest growth in Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted in Branson, county government, economic development, Missouri, Missouri economy, Ozarks, Ozarks economy, real estate development, Taney County, tourism, water law (streams, lakes and groundwater) and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.