You probably all know by now that Senate Bill 122 has passed - the bill providing for public-private partnerships in the construction of Georgia's water infrastructure. Georgia Water Wire does a great job summing up people's concerns about the bill:
http://gawaterwire.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/post-session-news-with-a-dash-of-political-history/
In my opinion, this bill takes decision-power away from the public when it comes to water infrastructure projects, and places way too much emphasis on the construction of new reservoirs to feed Georgia's projected future needs. We're going to have to see where this all goes, but I have to say I'm a bit worried . . .
Showing posts with label SB 122. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SB 122. Show all posts
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Water related legislation up for a vote tomorrow
Hello Georgia Water Watchers-
Tomorrow is an important day for state legislation that could potentially impact our local water future. The above video is a discussion between Sally Bethea, Director of Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, a local environmental group, and the Chairman of the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee. They offer different views regarding a couple of the bills up for a vote.
The first, HR 424, wants to create a committee to study withdrawing more water from the Tennessee River Basin in order to serve metro Atlanta's growing water needs. While Georgia already gets some water from the Tennessee River, around 2.7 million gallons a day, Georgia lawmakers would like to increase the amount Georgia transfers out of the river basin. It would be interesting to hear what Tennessee and Alabama has to say about this idea. Is Georgia out to "steal" water - like Los Angeles and the Owens River? That's an extreme (and not really accurate) comparison, but Atlanta is better off using local resources to their fullest before looking towards expensive, potentially environmentally unfriendly, massive infrastructure projects.
The second bill, SB 122, will allow public/private partnerships in the creation of water infrastructure and reservoirs. Do we want private business involved in the management of a public resource? Historically, this hasn't always worked out for the best. Private companies expect a return on their investment, so often charge more for water than a public utility would while offering poorer service.
Read SB 122 at: http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/displaybill.aspx?BillType=SB&billNum=122
If you would like to make your voice heard about this legislation, use this webpage to find your local representative: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/state/main/?state=GA
Tomorrow is an important day for state legislation that could potentially impact our local water future. The above video is a discussion between Sally Bethea, Director of Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, a local environmental group, and the Chairman of the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee. They offer different views regarding a couple of the bills up for a vote.
The first, HR 424, wants to create a committee to study withdrawing more water from the Tennessee River Basin in order to serve metro Atlanta's growing water needs. While Georgia already gets some water from the Tennessee River, around 2.7 million gallons a day, Georgia lawmakers would like to increase the amount Georgia transfers out of the river basin. It would be interesting to hear what Tennessee and Alabama has to say about this idea. Is Georgia out to "steal" water - like Los Angeles and the Owens River? That's an extreme (and not really accurate) comparison, but Atlanta is better off using local resources to their fullest before looking towards expensive, potentially environmentally unfriendly, massive infrastructure projects.
The second bill, SB 122, will allow public/private partnerships in the creation of water infrastructure and reservoirs. Do we want private business involved in the management of a public resource? Historically, this hasn't always worked out for the best. Private companies expect a return on their investment, so often charge more for water than a public utility would while offering poorer service.
Read SB 122 at: http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/displaybill.aspx?BillType=SB&billNum=122
If you would like to make your voice heard about this legislation, use this webpage to find your local representative: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/state/main/?state=GA
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