Jill Nolin of the Georgia Recorder wrote this excellent piece on the history of this long-lasting effort to dedicate environmental cleanup funds. The article also includes a lot of great details on how the new law will function with the state’s budget.
The 2021 Legislative Session is well under way. While CRBI is not traveling to the Capitol in person this year due to Covid restrictions, we are still actively promoting clean water with lawmakers across the state in conjunction with the Georgia Water Coalition. Here are our top priorities. Dedicating Environmental Trust Funds After the overwhelming approval of the Trust Fund Amendment (Amendment 1) in November, we are ready to protect environmental cleanup funding once and for all. The Constitutional Amendment…
Green: 0-126 cfu/100mL considered safe for recreational use by the state of Georgia Yellow: +126-235 cfu/100mL moderate risk of illness Red: +235 cfu/100mL high risk of illness CRBI conducted bacterial water monitoring at three sites that included Neel’s Landing off of US 411, Grizzard Park (soccer fields), and Heritage Park on September 1, 2020. The results of those monitoring efforts showed that 52.9 cfu/100mL were present at Neel’s Landing (411), 142.1 cfu/100mL were present at Grizzard Park, and 172.3 cfu/100mL…
Watch as the Georgia Senate unanimously approves HR 164 – a constitutional amendment that will allow the General Assembly to dedicate environmental trust funds. The House of Representatives passed the measure last week. These funds, created in the mid-90s, are intended to pay for the cleanup of illegal tire dumps and hazardous waste sites. Unfortunately, lawmakers have raided these funds for years to pay for other parts of the budget, to the tune of more than $200 million. Next up,…
Senate Bill 280 would prohibit the distribution of single-use plastic bags by retail stores, with some exemptions (bags used for bulk foods, produce, newspaper, garments, dog waste, meat, etc.). The proposed bill could mean Georgia would be joining the ranks of eight other states across the country that have already banned the bags. It is not uncommon to see plastic bags on the side of the road or in our rivers. Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman, Riverkeeper and Executive Director of CRBI, believes…
Georgia’s 2020 legislative session is in full swing and we want to keep you in the know on CRBI’s legislative priorities. You can keep up with the following bills as well as new legislation being introduced by following along with the bill tracker. HB 545: Attack On Rural Property Rights Position: Strongly OPPOSE If the lot next to your property was bought up with plans to be turned into a large scale, industrial chicken farm, would you want some say…