Stop Government Agencies from Over-Reaching

Urgent Action Needed!

A suite of bad bills has been introduced which weaken the ability of citizens to challenge state government issued pollution permits on technical or scientific grounds.

These bills will expand "agency deference" for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, the Shore Protection Committee, and the Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee on technical issues. These bills eliminate the requirement that licensed professional engineers must review permits. They also require that a trained and impartial Judge must put aside his or her judgment, including the testimony of independent, qualified third-party experts, and defer to a government employee’s opinion when reviewing contested permits.

These bills unfairly tilt the balance of power towards government agencies and away from the citizens who monitor their actions.

On March 17, one of these bills (SB486) will be heard in the Senate Natural Resources Committee...two Senators from the Ogeechee and Canoochee basins sit on that committee--Senator Jack Hill and Senator JB Powell.  Please contact them TODAY and ask that they vote NO on SB486.

These bills could have far-reaching effects on the Ogeechee, Canoochee and Coastal Rivers.

Here are some examples:

• The Georgia Environmental Protection Division issued draft permits for the proposed coal plant, Plant Washington, that did not include pollution limits for the toxic heavy metal, mercury. If the government issues final permits for this plant without requiring limits for mercury pollution, it could be very difficult for a judge to consider independent expert witness testimony criticizing this decision on scientific grounds.

• The Georgia Enviornmental Protection Division is considering issuing a permit for a sewage plant to discharge to the Laurel View River in Liberty County. This river is tidally-influenced. The water-flow model that the government has used in the past to determine how pollution is dispersed in coastal areas has come under sharp criticism from scientists at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. However, if these bills pass, it could be very difficult for these independent expert opinions to be considered when deciding whether the permit was properly issued.

Download a fact sheet on the Senate bills.

Update on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 12:53PM by Ogeechee Riverkeeper

THANK YOU!

Your phone calls and emails made a difference!  Neither Senator Hill nor Senator Powell voted in favor of SB486 in committee.

Unfortunately, the bill did pass out of the Senate Natural Resources Committee after a tight vote with the bill's sponsor, Sen. Ross Tolleson having to break the tie.

This is the first in a suite of bad bills that, if passed, would make citizen opposition to state issued pollution permits more difficult. 

Please contact YOUR Senators TODAY to ask them to keep our government agencies honest--third-party independent reviews of pollution permits are important to protecting our natural resources!

To find contact information for your state senator, visit www.votesmart.org.