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)

State Water Planning Takes Shape

State environmental officials are underway with development of water planning in Georgia. Eleven experts have been selected to serve on the state’s water planning advisory panel. They include scientists from the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, among others. They are joined by geological and environmental researchers. The group aims to help Georgia deal with a wide array of challenges with water, including the growing metro Atlanta region, plans to build new reservoirs, and how restrictions help deal with times of drought.

Federal Government Considers Savannah River Site Near Augusta for Mercury Storage

The federal government is considering the Savannah River Site near Augusta, along with six other sites, for the storage of more than 10,000 metric tons of mercury.

Officials are searching for a site to store the mercury, as federal law will ban the sale or export of the element by 2013, and require the federal government to store it.

Mercury is produced in the manufacturing of caustic soda and chlorine at a handful of plants in the U.S. It's also a by-product in gold mining, and in recycling and waste recovery.

Mercury is controversial, since it causes developmental disabilities in children, and also harm fetal development.

It's already a sore spot in Augusta, where environmental groups have been calling for the Olin Corporation to stop using the element in the manufacture of chlorine. A bill in Congress also seeks to eliminate mercury from the few chlorine plants that still use it. Olin, meanwhile, has maintained that is mercury use its safe.

The Savannah River Site is a massive federal entity that processes nuclear materials near Augusta.

The U.S. Department of Energy, meanwhile, will hold a public comment period on the proposal to store mercury. There will be a public meeting in North Augusta, South Carolina on July 30.

For more information, click here.

Georgia Gazette Monday, June 29, 2009

Join host Rickey Bevington tonight for Georgia Gazette. On tonight's show… Sweeping energy and environmental legislation is headed to the US Senate. Details of the bill and how it could affect Georgia. Why childhood obesity is plaguing the south in particular… And a free pass into state parks... your chance to win. This and more tonight on Georgia Gazette at 6, 7 in Athens, re-broadcast at 11, hear our show any time at www.gpb.org/georgiagazette , and download a free podcast on iTunes.

New Report Shows High Mercury Levels In Fish Downstream Of Augusta

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control say that anglers should not eat any large-mouth bass caught in the portion of the Savannah River south of Augusta.

They have put up warning signs because too much mercury can cause damage to internal organs. On the Georgia side, there are no such warnings.

Sonya Bonitatibus is a spokesperson for the environmental group Savannah River Keeper. She says that Georgia trails South Carolina when it comes to warning its citizens about mercury levels in the river.

"There is nothing in law stating that they have to restrict the amounts of mercury that are being put in the Savannah River. South Carolina does recognize that there is a problem. A good way to notice that is when you go on the South Carolina side they have the fish advisory warnings, the big signs sitting there right on the boat landings. Georgia does not offer that to it’s citizens."

The data used in the report was compiled over a 3 year period and involved testing 15 different species of fish.

It shows that further up river in Augusta it’s okay to eat fish. The mercury levels are significantly lower.

The Savannah River Keeper speculates that the mercury comes from various chemical industries on the south side of town.

The Drought is Finally Over!

The state's worst dry spell in the last century has finally ended. Thanks to the second wettest spring in more than a hundred and ten years, the drought which has gripped parts of Georgia since summer 2006 has is finally over.

But more importantly say state officials, Georgia has returned to rainfall patterns recorded in the early part of the century. However, even with rivers flowing and reservoirs at or near capacity, all that good news is tempered with a bit of caution.

State climatologist David Stooksbury.

"There's been this perception that we've had this tremendous amount of rainfall over the last six months. In reality, we've had near normal rainfall over much of north Georgia. I think the fact that it’s been so dry, we have forgotten what normal rainfall is like. Now, South Georgia has been extremely wet and there are allot of fields sitting in water still in South Georgia. But here in North Georgia, the Athens area, the Atlanta area, near normal for the last six months."

At the height of the drought, lawmakers passed House Bill 1281, enacting tough water restrictions. Residents exceeded expectations cutting back water consumption by 10 percent. Five percent more than was called for.

Carol Couch heads Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

"Georgians did more than simply follow some state rule. At the end of the day, we cannot simply explain this consistent decrease in water use through this period by regulation alone. To me, it is a tribute to every Georgian in the 55 county area that chose to do the right thing."

The timing of the drought happened at the same time the country's economy hit the skids. And that hit Georgia's 8 billion landscape industry squarely in the pocket.

Sherry Loudermilk is executive director of Georgia's Green Industry Association.

"We lost about thirty five percent of our industry. And it’s been very difficult. There have been many who have hung on and some have just gone out of business this past spring. its been very difficult in most of our industry is still family oriented and if there were employees there, they were like family and having to terminate those people has been very difficult."

With the recent drenching things may be looking up for nurseries.

Jeff Hunter is a spokesperson for one of the nation’s largest …. Pike Nurseries. He’s says the slow economy has more people looking to save water and money.

"There's been an upturn in the past couple of years of rain harvesting, you know rain barrels, drip irrigation and more conservation of water. So it’s helped with new techniques anyway."

Last year, the Georgia legislature passed a measure establishing a study committee dedicated to formulating a statewide water plan.

Former Lt. Governor Pier Howard says now it’s up to the next administration to develop a long range conservation plan Georgians can live with. Howard now heads The Georgia Conservancy.

"I think what Georgia needs going forwards is an overall policy. We need input from all the different sectors. We need all the voices at the table, but we need a new policy in Georgia for water efficiency and water conservation."

Water Restrictions May Get Rollback

Top state environmental officials may decide later today to rollback water restrictions in north Georgia. The state Enviromental Protection Division has called a meeting for this morning-at issue, whether the recent months of steady to heavy rainfall has been enough to allow a lifting of restrictions. It was only a year ago that more than 40 percent of the region was firmly mired in drought. But since the recent rain, climatologists lifted drought-designations for the state. Only a small pocket in northeast Georgia remains "abnormally dry".

Drought Decision Wednesday

Encouraged by the replenishing rains, state environmental officials are set to decide Wednesday whether to relax water restrictions that banned most outdoor water use across north Georgia.

Just a year ago, about 60 percent of the state was locked in some sort of drought.

Federal forecasters now say the state has completely emerged from the drought, and that only a small pocket in northeast Georgia remains "abnormally dry."

Still, conservationists are concerned that if the state Drought Response Committee decides to ease or lift restrictions it will send the wrong message to water-conscious residents.

As the drought spread in late 2007, state environmental officials banned virtually all outdoor watering in the northern part of the state and ordered utilities in the area to reduce water use by 10 percent.

The requirements for the utilities were lifted as the drought began to ease, and state officials agreed to allow some counties that do not rely on Lake Lanier to get exemptions from some of the restrictions.

Georgia environmental officials have since allowed residents to fill outdoor swimming pools, hand-water plants for 25 minutes three days a week and use drip irrigation and soaker houses to maintain their yards.

Yet an order that bans most other outdoor watering across north Georgia and limits outdoor watering to three days a week throughout the rest of the state are still in place.

Georgia Gazette Thursday, June 4, 2009

Join host Rickey Bevington tonight for Georgia Gazette. On tonight's show ... The Environmental Protection Agency looks for a likely carcinogen in Northwest Georgia’s drinking water supply. Nine Georgia banks have closed already this year but credit unions continue to perform well. How soldiers from Georgia’s 48th brigade are training to survive real-life scenarios they will face in Afghanistan... Plus, we preview tonight's Atlanta Symphony Orchestra broadcast on GPB and give you another chance to win our weekly giveaway. These stories and more tonight on Georgia Gazette at 6, 7 in Athens, re-broadcast at 11, hear our show any time at www.gpb.org/georgiagazette , and download a free podcast on iTunes.

EPA Looking For Likely Carcinogen in NW Georgia Drinking Water

GPB has learned the Environmental Protection Agency tested drinking water supplies for a likely carcinogen in the Rome and Dalton areas earlier this year.

Samples were collected at the end of March. The agency tested for PFOA, and for other similar compounds. That’s according to internal EPA documents obtained by GPB.

According to preliminary results, the EPA found the likely carcinogen in the drinking water supply at one part per billion. Federal officials say that’s an acceptable level, however, that level is at least twice as high as what’s allowed in other states, such as Minnesota and New Jersey.

Those states are concerned about the health risks of exposure to PFOA and other similar compounds. PFOA has been linked to infertility, birth defects, various types of cancers, dementia and stroke. The chemical is believed to come from the carpet industry in Dalton, where it’s been used as a stain guard. The EPA expects the final results to come in by the end of the summer. No public health advisories have been issued, or are expected to be issued, based on the preliminary results.

Nuclear Reactors Near Augusta Get License Renewals

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating licenses for two nuclear reactors at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Waynesboro, near Augusta.

The renewal is good until the year 2047 for one of the existing reactors and 2049 for the other.

Plant Vogtle, meanwhile, has received widespread attention -- and controversy -- as it also seeks to build two more reactors. Georgia Power, a majority owner of Plant Vogtle, and Southern Nuclear Operating Company, which operates the plant, have been seeking approval to build the additional reactors. The state public service commission says the reactors would meet an increasing demand for electricity in Georgia. Environmental groups, meanwhile, have argued that the demand is not big enough to justify the reactors.

The state public service commission has given the okay for the proposed new reactors, but the NRC is still reviewing the proposal. Construction of the reactors would be among the first in the U.S. in decades.

Environmental groups, meanwhile, oppose the proposed new reactors.

For more information about the existing reactors and the license renewals, click here.

Home Depot Shareholders Meeting Draws Protest

Enviromental activists targeted a Home Depot shareholders meeting on Thursday, claiming the home improvement giant’s buying practices in Chile support destruction of endangered wilderness there.

Members of the group International Rivers were outside the Cobb Galleria in Cobb County, and for a time, inside the conference center aiming to disrupt the company’s annual meeting. Randeep Walia with the enviromental group says Home Depot’s shareholders need to know the company’s connection to suppliers of wood that want to build new hydro-electric dams in southern Chile:

"Hopefully that message got out to them today, that some of the areas that their company’s involved in might not be in the guidelines of what Home Depot purports to be, which is an environmentally-conscious company."

But Ron Jarvis, a top management official with Atlanta-based Home Depot, says environmental groups for more than a year have been unfairly using the company as a platform to shape Chilean energy policy:

"For us to do that, we’d have to become the experts on energy, in particular hydro-electricity, and we are not the experts on that. So for us to come out and make a comment on whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, it’s not something we’re going to do."

Jarvis says Home Depot’s current wood-buying policy in the country is fully-endorsed by Chilean enviromental groups.

Oconee River Bacteria Levels High

Scientists are urging officials from the State Environmental Protection Division to return to the Oconee River in Dublin and sample the water again.
A year ago scientists from the EPD took samples from the river. They came to Laurens County after sportsmen reported seeing bloody fish and deformed birds. They also noted the disappearance of the once plentiful mussel.
After extensive testing the EPD determined problems with the fish stemmed from drought, spawning, and bacteria. They said there was no danger to public health.
But, Kim Tyler with the Altamaha Riverkeeper has been collecting samples for the last several months and she disagrees. Her tests, analyzed at mercer university, show bacteria levels up to 40 times higher than similar sections of the Ocmulgee River in Middle Georgia.
(photos courtesy of Altamaha Riverkeeper)

"I'm really concerned for boaters and people that want to fish in the water. Especially young children that have low immune systems, anyone that has sores, splashing in the water and eyes, getting it in their eyes and their ears and their nose. That to me in my opinion is dangerous and should be avoided."



Tyler says they sent a letter to the EPD reporting their findings. They've asked them to come back and locate the source of the contamination. For now Tyler says she won't be fishing in that part of the Oconee River.

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.

New DOE Budget Reflects Little Change at Savannah River Site

The Department of Energy budget released yesterday calls for little significant change at the Savannah River Site near Augusta.

SRS is the leading manufacturer of the radio active material tritium, used in nuclear weapons. Under the 2010 budget they will maintain that position.

Damien LaVera, a spokesperson for the National Nuclear Security Administration, says that the approach to defense related programs will remain in line with the 2009 budget until a series of national reviews reevaluate the country’s nuclear position. However, he expects to see significant changes in the 2011 budget once those reviews are complete.

With the Obama administration’s pledge to reduce the nuclear stockpile, SRS faces the possibility of a significant reduction in the manufacturing of tritium, which could lead to the loss of jobs. But for now they will stay the course.

The new budget maintains the allocation of over $1 billion for environmental cleanup operations and close to $500 million for the mixed oxide fuel reprocessing plant (MOX). The MOX facility recently received criticism from the DOE inspector general for failing to meet quality control standards.

For the full budget click here.

Ft. Valley To Get Stimulus $$ for Superfund Site

The Superfund program was established during the Carter administration. It requires chemical and manufacturing companies to pay for cleaning up thousands of contaminated sites around the country. Sixteen such sites are in Georgia. They're part of the EPA's National Priority List or NPL.

The $5 million dollars heading toward Fort Valley is part of President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Fort Valley officials say the Woolfolk site will become the nexus of its redevelopment efforts in an area which includes downtown Fort Valley as well as Fort Valley State University.

Woolfolk sits close to downtown Fort Valley and to the state university which bears the city's name. Since the site was deemed eligible for Superfund in 1990, 27 million dollars has been spent to partially cleanup its 31-acres. Fort Valley mayor Dr. John Stumbo knows the site's history.

"The Woolfolk Chemical Plant started operations there in about 1924. They made agricultural pesticides that were arsenic lace. In those days, of course, there was no air conditioning and because of the heat, most of the mixing of this dry material was done in sheds that simply had a roof and no side walls. So, as the winds blew through there, it would carry this contamined dust all over the area. The second company came in there in the 1970s, they were called Canada in Georgia, and they were doing the same thing."

Recently, Fort Valley's City Council voted to designate Woolfolk part of its redevelopment plan. But, commercial developers have shied away from the area since in some places contaminated soil remains below the surface. So, instead the City Council is considering a recreation center and Fort Valley's mayor says he'd like a new police academy. And, there is also this idea from Fort Valley State University.

"They're trying to develop plants that indeed clean on their own by their growing process, contaminants out of soils. Well, this would be an ideal situation, because there is still some contamination in the soil."

In the early 1980s, citizen complaints prompted the Georgia environmental officials to investigate Woolfolk amid allegations of discharge of waste products into a drainage corridor heading away from the site. No injuries have been reported but one lawsuit forced a former Woolfolk owner to reimburse residents for declining property values.

Today, according to the US EPA, all excavation of arsenic from residential soil is complete, as well as the removal of arsennic contaminated dust from residential attics.

Finally, in 2002, then President Bush elmininated the Superfund tax for chemical companies, which generated approximately $1 billion dollars a year. The Obama administration has reinstated the program starting in 2011, which is expected to add about $17 billion dollars over ten years to the program.

Fort Valley hopes this latest infusion of $5 million dollars from President Obama's stimulus plan will complete the cleanup of Woolfolk, fulfilling its promise of downtown revitalization.

EPD Says Air Will Be Cleaner When New Coal Plant is Built but Environmental Groups Disagree

The state's top environmental regulator for air pollution says the air in eastern Georgia will be cleaner if and when a coal plant is built near Sandersville in Washington County.

Jac Capp, chief of the state environmental protection division's air protection branch, says the plant also won't add to ozone air pollution in Augusta or Macon. Macon is already near two other coal plants, one of them dubbed by environmental groups as the dirtiest in the U.S.

Coal plants are in the process of reducing pollutant emissions as required by federal and state regulations.

Capp says that the proposed new coal plant, Plant Washington, will also have lower emissions of pollutants.

But environmental groups disagree with Capp's comments. They say the goal of EPD should be to not pollute at all.

Ozone triggers respiratory illnesses. The EPD recently recommended, for the first time, that mid-sized cities in Georgia have failed ozone air pollution standards. Her recommendations are required by federal law and based on measures of the ozone. Newer and tougher restrictions this year have contributed to the cities falling into this category. The federal government will ultimately make the decision on whether the cities, which include Augusta, Macon and Columbus.

The state EPD is beginning the permitting process for Plant Washington. But Capp and his staff have already reviewed an extensive proposal for the plant.

Hear audio about Plant Washington:

Jac Capp, Georgia Environmental Protection Division

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Midge Sweet, Georgians for Smart Energy

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State Capitol UPDATE

**Follow the final day of the General Assembly session moment-by-moment on Twitter (GPB News)**

Of the action from the Capitol this hour:

-House is now talking up Senate Bill 56. It deals with electronic records for over-the-counter drugs used to make methamphetamine.

-Senate PASSES House Bill 608--A Bill relating to general provisions relative to time-share projects and programs, so as to provide for definitions; to provide that a time-share estate shall include certain interests; to provide for certain actions when such interests are held in trust; to provide for certain fiduciary requirements to an owners' association; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

-House PASSES SB 198--A Bill relating to the power of the Board of Natural Resources to regulate air quality in nonattainment areas in this state, so as to provide the costs to be covered by the fee charged by emission inspection stations shall include the activities of the director of the Environmental Protection Division necessary to achieve compliance with state and federal clean air laws; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

-Seatbelt amendment coming up on License Plate bill-HB639

-Word on the street - Senate might take up MARTA bill shortly.

- HB 639 is no longer a dolphin license plate... now for aquarium and Atlanta Falcons.

-Senate has taken-up SB 56--A Bill relating to the joint county and municipal sales and use tax, so as to revise and change procedures and requirements regarding the renegotiation of distribution certificates; to change certain provisions regarding failure to file a new certificate; to change certain provisions regarding discontinuation of the tax; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

U.S. Energy Secretary Confirms $1.6 Billion Coming to Savannah River Site

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu says the $1.6 billion will help speed up the de-commissioning of nuclear reactors and contaminated areas at the Savannah River Site near Augusta.

The money could provide up to 3000 new jobs in the area, although it's unclear how many of those jobs would be permanent. The funding is part of the new economic stimulus package that targets the environmental clean-up of nuclear sites in the U.S.

The Savannah River Site for years refined nuclear materials for weapons. But employment numbers there dropped by thousands after the Cold War ended.

Federal officials say the funding will pay for the clean-up of about 40 percent of the site's massive industrial area, and ship out about 4500 cubic meters of waste.

About $6 billion is going out to nuclear sites in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Savannah River Site is getting the second-highest funding. The Hanford Site, in Washington state, is getting most at about $2 billion.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy

Dalton Carpet Industry: Bye, Bye PFOA

The Carpet and Rug Institute told GPB Wednesday that the chemical PFOA has "a cloud of suspicion" hanging over it's head.

The lobbying group also announced the carpet industry in Dalton no longer uses the chemistry that produces the chemical.

This announcement is a reversal of CRI's position, as stated to GPB last year.

PFOA is a likely carcinogen, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. It is found in high amounts in NW Georgia's Conasauga River.

The river is a source of drinking water for the towns of Calhoun and Rome.

The chemical is emitted into the river by Dalton's carpet industry.

In a yet to be aired interview with WSB TV in Atlanta, CRI said the industry stopped using C-8 chemistry in January. They say PFOA is produced by this chemistry.

In essence what they are saying, is that PFOA is no longer being emitted.

Werner Braun is the head of the CRI.

"The message that this industry is that we have done the responsibly right thing to get out of these chemistry's because there is a cloud of suspicion hanging over C-8chemistry's."

One of Braun's assistants said the CRI did not publicize the decision because, "at the levels it [PFOA] was at, it's not a big deal." Yet, James Beach also went on to say "I wouldn't want this stuff [bio-accumulating] in my body."