State AG Exempts Agencies From Storm Water Regs

Georgia's attorney general says state agencies are exempt from local regulations concerning storm water runoff. The state is still bound by rules of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the federal Environmental Protection Agency to protect streams, rivers and lakes from silt. But environmentalists objected to Tuesday's opinion. Muddy runoff from construction sites threatens aquatic vegetation and wildlife. The Georgia Department of Transportation was concerned it would be subject to permit-requirements in each of the state’s 159 counties.

(Associated Press)

Macon May Impose Idling Ban

The Macon City Council is considering limiting the amount of time city-owned vehicles can idle. The proposed law would fine violators 500-dollars if they leave their engines running for more than 15 minutes. Proponents of the measure say it will help the City of Macon have cleaner air. Macon is being considered for non-attainment status because its air does not meet new, stricter guidelines for ozone set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency. Some exemptions to the proposed law include emergency, maintenance, and construction vehicles that need to keep engines running to perform their jobs.

Chemical goes unregulated in drinking water

A leaked report indicates the Environmental Protection Agency is not going to regulate a chemical linked to thyroid problems. In Georgia, the chemical has shown up in at least 3 drinking water sources. .

The chemical is called perchlorate. It’s a component of rocket-fuel and has been found in fertilizers and people across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control found it all the people it tested in a 2001-2002 study.

An EPA report leaked to the Washington Post suggests the federal government will not regulate perchlorate in drinking water. That means it’s up to the state to limit the chemical.

Government scientists found perchlorate in drinking water sources in Fayette, Oconee and Houston counties. The levels ranged from 5 to 38 parts per billion. The CDC says rates that high in people disrupt hormones and would require treatment for some pregnant women to prevent developmental risk to babies.

The EPA will make a final decision on federal regulation in December. Public comment opens in a few weeks

Public Works director indicted

An east Georgia Public Works director faces a federal indictment for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act. The Augusta Chronicle reports a Savannah Grand Jury indicted Harlem Public Works director Daniel Webster Cason on 11 counts. The FBI and Environmental Protection Agency say in 2004 Cason's department pumped a pollutant into the Euchee Creek and then falsified records. The Mayor of Harlem calls Cason a good employee who didn't mean for the incident to happen.

Talmo plant ordered to close

A Jackson County Superior Court judge has ordered a controversial plant in northeast Georgia to close for a month. The order comes at the request of the state attorney general and Georgia’s Enviromental Protection Division director. The judge’s order says the Agri-Cycle plant in Talmo should stop accepting new waste for a month, and prove compliance before resuming business. The plant recycles poultry byproducts and waste, using a land-application system to dispose on company property. Last Wednesday, a massive fire broke out on the grounds. The EPD claims the plant has operated without proper permits, and caused at least two spills into nearby Allen Creek. Residents of Talmo have complained for a while about the smell from the plant.

Dozens speak on air pollution proposal

A federal proposal could force the state and private companies to clean up Georgia's air. Dozens of people weighed in Wednesday at a public hearing in Atlanta.

Sherian Wilburn of the Georgia Industry Association told U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials that their proposal to further restrict pollutions would be bad for businesses.

"It will definitely put pressure on manufacturers," Wilburn says. "They'll look elsewhere and we could easily drive jobs offshore."

Wilburn says Georgia has lost 80,000 manufacturing jobs in the past seven years.

But environmentalists came to the hearing in force. Patty Durand of the Sierra Club told regulators that, several times this summer, she would not let her son play outside and she urged her husband not to go running because the smog level was so high it posed a health hazard. Durand says tougher federal ozone standards might be the only thing that will motivate Georgia leaders to act.

"They would be forced to look at transit, whereas right now they're judgmental," Durand says. "It would require them to take care of our air. Right now they're not focused on it."

But Governor Sonny Perdue is siding with industry. In April, he sent a letter to EPA opposing the proposal. In it, he wrote "the science may not be definitive enough to warrant another revision."

The last time the EPA revised its ozone standard was in 1997. It will make a final ruling on its proposal by March.