– March 20, 2024 –
Good morning! Water issues keep bubbling up as Coastal Georgia’s rapid development intensifies its thirst. Today we have the saga of legislation aimed squarely at Bryan County that would allow easier privatization of water systems. We also have updates on Sapelo’s rezoning and on federal ship speed limits meant to protect right whales. Dive in!
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
Bryan water woes
A Coastal Georgia water bill, HB 1146, is getting a lot of attention, much of it negative. The bill would allow private water companies to provide water to developers without first getting an agreement from the local county or city. Sponsor Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, has reiterated the bill is a temporary measure to provide water for new housing needed for the influx of workers at the Hyundai Metaplant. Savannah-based Water Utility Management, which stands to benefit from the bill, already supplies water to 32,000 homes in Georgia, albeit with local government approval.
The Associated Press has an overview here.
Environmental groups have opposed the bill from the get-go, noting that because the bill fails to address waste water it could lead to a proliferation of septic in areas ill suited to it. An article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution stressed how local residents were effectively silenced after traveling more than four hours to a recent committee hearing about the bill.
The Savannah Morning News took Stephens to task for making a “fact-challenged case” for the bill. Stephens had argued that a lack of water caused a developer to pull out of building hundreds of homes in Bryan County. But the Savannah Morning News article he pointed to as his source of information actually indicated a backlash from the nearby community quashed the project. Despite the fact check, Stephens repeated the same arguments at the next hearing.
HB 1146 has passed the full House and the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment.
Sapelo rezoning order
A McIntosh County judge last week sided with the county and dismissed a challenge to the controversial rezoning of Sapelo Island. Gullah-Geechee residents of the island had challenged the rezoning over a fear that the larger houses it allowed would price them out of the place the families had lived for generations. Find out why more litigation is likely on the way in this article from The Current’s Mary Landers.
Update on whale protections
North Atlantic right whales are in trouble. With only about 360 individuals remaining, they have been dying at an alarming rate, many because they were entangled in fishing gear or hit by ships. A proposed regulation to protect from ships had been stalled for months, but recently moved forward, as Emily Jones of WABE/Grist reports. Learn why U.S. Rep Buddy Carter (R-St. Simons) opposes the additional protection here.
Also noted:
- Legislation that would reinstate the Consumer Utility Counsel legislation (SB 457) is still alive in the General Assembly. At a committee hearing Tuesday a representative of the Public Service Commission argued the counsel would duplicate existing services. Rome Republican state Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, the bill’s sponsor, countered, “I’ve seen some of that (existing) staff chastised in the meeting for being an activist, by a Public Service Commissioner.” Read more here.
- Bloomberg Philanthropies has chosen Savannah as one of 25 Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities. Savannah will receive up to three Bloomberg staffers to help implement programs such as developing affordable, energy-efficient housing, investing in electric vehicles and infrastructure, and accelerating the city’s use of clean energy.
- “Our Resilient Georgia Coast,” the first webinar in Drawdown Georgia’s 2024 series, will be co-hosted by One Hundred Miles, and will dive into Coastal Georgia’s climate and community challenges and solutions. Learn more and register for the 2 p.m. March 26 webinar here.
- Staff from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will update the Brunswick community on the completion of the marsh cleanup activities at the LCP Chemicals Superfund Site and the progress of the outfall ditch cleanup at the Terry Creek Superfund Site at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28 at Howard Coffin Park, 1402 Sonny Miller Way, Brunswick.
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Sapelo rezoning complaint dismissed
A challenge to McIntosh County’s rezoning of Sapelo Island fails but Gullah-Geechee residents will refile complaint.
Public advocate proposed for Ga. utility customers
Senate Bill 457, which passed the state Senate and is now in a House committee, would reinstate the Consumers’ Utility Counsel – a public advocate to represent the interests of customers on issues like electricity rates.
Proposed protections for North Atlantic right whales advance
Earlier this month, a proposal to expand speed limits for boats – one of the leading causes of death for endangered right whales – took a key step forward: it’s now under review by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the last stage of federal review.
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