Welcome!

Mark Woodall has sent this list of issues – some the Sierra Club opposes and others are favored. To see the bills on the official Georgia General Assembly website, go to: http://www.legis.ga.gov. You may also find the contact information for you state legislators there. Please contact them about these issues.

Your Georgia Legislature will meet Monday, Tuesday and then finish next Thursday, March 29. There are 3 important bills explained below by Georgia Water Coalition, which are still worthy of action.

Also, there are two MARTA bills up for a vote in the Senate either late Monday or Tuesday morning. HB 1052 amended in the Senate Transportation Committee it gives MARTA three years without the oppressive 50-50 spending mandate for the capital versus operating expenditures. It's ridiculous to continue this mandate in the law considering the state of Georgia doesn't even support MARTA but giving MARTA flexibility with its own money through the summer of 2016 is better than the Rep. Mike Jacobs bill as passed the House.

We hope it passes the Senate. Then we will need to call state house reps to urge support for the senate version.

GA Power and the EMCs seem to have killed SB 401, Solar Freedom, which would have greatly expanded solar energy through 3rd party financing in Georgia.

THREE LEGISLATIVE DAYS LEFT THIS SESSION
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday will be the final days of this legislative session. We are continuing to work on at least three bills to ensure Georgia's waterways are protected for current and future generations.

BILLS THAT STILL NEED ACTION

HB 811 - Put the Trust back in Trust Funds
Status: Introduced by Rep. Jay Powell (R - Camilla). The bill overwhelmingly passed out of the House and passed the Senate yesterday (3/22/12) but was severely gutted in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The problem: Several fees have been established to fund various state programs - including a fee collected on tires that is supposed to go to the Solid Waste Trust Fund to clean up illegal tire dumps and other solid waste problems, and fees collected at landfills and other places that are supposed to go to the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund to clean up old hazardous waste dump sites that threaten ground water. However, the state often spends these funds for other purposes and constitutionally there is no way to make them stop. This bill aims to stop the raiding of these funds by reducing the amount of fees the state can collect if they use them for some other purpose.

Action Needed: Contact BOTH your State Senator and State Representative and ask them to RESTORE HB 811 and appropriate the full amount to the trust funds so that they can continue to fund important, needed projects.

SB 362 - Mining Logs from Georgia Rivers
Introduced by Sen. Tommie Williams (R - Lyons). The bill has passed the Senate and the House Natural Resources Committee. The bill was on the House calendar -- postponed until Monday March 26, presumably because it did not have enough votes to pass - THANKS TO THE PRESSURE FROM US! Representatives have heard from hundreds of Georgians who are opposed to the bill.

This is a special interest bill that will benefit a few people who want to mine submerged logs from river beds. The bill will allow these special interests to set their own price rather than pay a fair price set by the state for these valuable logs. Mining logs long submerged in state waters can be harmful because the process destroys fish habitat and causes pollutants, such as PCBs, heavy metals, and dioxins, long settled in the stream beds to become resuspended into the water.

Action Needed: KEEP THE PRESSURE UP! Contact your State Representative one more time and tell them to VOTE NO on SB 362.

SB 110 - Siting Landfills Above Aquifers

Introduced in an attempt to repeal a prohibition on siting landfills above aquifers, the bill was stopped in a House Natural Resources subcommittee by determined landfill opponents from Middle GA. However it remained a viable bill and "came back to life" this year but the repeal was stripped out and the bill was "reused" as a vehicle by the House Natural Resources Committee to extend the date for septage haulers to comply with regulations for land disposal of material pumped from septic tanks. A provision was also added to the bill to require water companies to collaborate with sewer companies to assure collection of sewer bills. Now the Senate has disagreed with these House Amendments, presumably to add the repeal back onto the bill.

Action needed: Contact your representative and ask them to hold the House position on SB 110 by Substitute, and to leave the law prohibiting landfills over aquifer recharge areas intact.

The GWC is 184 Partners Strong! Thanks to all of your efforts in helping to strengthen the Georgia Water Coalition!
www.georgiawater.org

John Walsh has passed away at age 52. He was a long-time Sierra Club member. A few years ago, he was on the Metro Atlanta Group Ex-Com until he got an evening job, so couldn't attend Ex-Com or regular meetings, but this Fall he was going to be a candidate for our Ex-Com again. When you get your ballot in the coming issue of SIERRAN, I encourage you to vote, for that is what John would have done.

When I saw, "John Walsh" in my E-mail box from Sierra Club–GA Chapter office, the worst I could think was that he had sent his candidate bio to Chapter instead of to me. Ho Boy–it was much worse. Chapter Chair Mark Woodall wrote: "I am sorry to report that long time Sierra Club volunteer, John Walsh, 52, of Decatur passed away August 31. I was very surprised to hear this as John looked fine recently when he was helping us set up the inflatable power plant at the showing of 'The Last Mountain' in Macon." He also looked good at the August 9 Metro Atlanta Group meeting.

His brother Chris said that his death was probably due to a fall several years ago. John had a rough time recovering, his brain kept deteriorating, he had seizures for awhile, but Nancy Wylie said that he was proud to get his driver's license again after 2 years seizure-free. However, he apparently died in his sleep, probably from a seizure. Bettye Harris, Ted and Lissa Jackson, and I attended his funeral at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Decatur where John was a Lector and also volunteered much of his time, when he wasn't doing things for the Sierra Club. He was a good guy, faithful Sierra Club member, and the Sierra Club will be lessened by his leaving us. He even requested that in lieu of flowers that people should donate to the Sierra Club. We will miss him at our meetings.

--- D. Gordon Draves, Chair – Metro Atlanta Group, Georgia Chapter, Sierra Club