February
15, 2002 Georgia
Power Loses Chattahoochee Water Bid
An
administrative law judge ruled this week against Georgia Power's state
permit to draw additional water from the Chattahoochee River. The
ruling was applauded by the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and other
environmentalists. As reports the Miami Herald (02-12-02), Georgia Power
already draws 58 million gallons a day from the river to cool new gas-fired
power generators. The utility wanted to double that amount. "Our
concern is that if you allow an industry to take more than they need,
you are setting a bad precedent," Michelle Fried, an attorney for
the Riverkeeper, told the Herald. Wesley
Woolf, an attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, told the
Herald that the ruling paves the way for any citizen to sue over water
use permits. "It's unfortunate citizens are going to have to step
up to the plate and protect themselves," he said. Sally Bethea, Executive
Director of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, said the ruling was necessary
because "In many places, they are sucking our rivers dry." Explore
the rivers of the Southeast -- click here: http://www.amrivers.org/contactus/southeastoffice.htm
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