| HOPE of Georgia Update
March 25, 2003 By Newt Nickell President, HOPE of Georgia (Homeowners Opposing Power-line Encroachment) P.O. Box 2958 Cumming, GA 30028 770-235-5018 Fax: 770-844-6877 Last week contained another interesting series of meetings. On Thursday, Jane Nelson, Jim Presswood, Mike Carter, Jim Kulstad, and I had a meeting with various individuals and attorneys representing part of the power industry. Also attending were Representatives Wendell Willard, Judy Manning, Ralph Twiggs, Roger Bruce of the House Judiciary Sub-committee, and Senator Renee Unterman. This was the type of meeting that Rep. Manning has been requesting of the industry since last November. The industry -- or at least part of it -- finally agreed to meet with us two days before the recent two-week recess was to end. Please form your own opinions regarding the industry's sincerity in their desire to work toward legislation which is good for them and Georgia citizens. The encouraging part of the meeting was that the industry attorneys present seemed to understand the citizen concerns of no due process, equal protection, nor fundamental fairness in the current Georgia eminent domain laws that are associated with power transmission lines. The discouraging part was that the non-attorney view seems to be that any real oversight will result in electric reliability problems in Georgia. When asked to point to any state in the U.S. which has reliability problems resulting from oversight, none could be identified. Clearly, the feeling is that the threat of reliability problems will be what the industry will continue to feed the media and legislators. The many legislators that support reform legislation will do so. The ones who feel a stronger allegiance to the industry than they do to their constituents will use this threat as their mantra. We are continuing to work closely with the PSC, Department of Natural Resources, Judiciary Committee members and Chairman, as well as some key Senators. Last week, the PSC released a bill summary very critical of Bill 671, which was drafted primarily by the industry. That summary has been given to all legislators who signed 671 and they all seem to fully understand that 671 does essentially nothing for Georgia citizens. This will be a key week and we expect some significant news. Please continue to write letters and call the legislators, as well as the Governor. This is having a great effect and it is critical for our elected officials to know that their constituents are watching and counting on them for support. Also, letters to the editor of your local newspapers as well as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are very valuable. We continue to work toward a vote on meaningful reform and are confident that a good bill will emerge. When the vote happens, your personal attendance at the State House will be very much needed. We will let you know as soon as possible so you can plan accordingly. Thanks again for your interest and participation. We are working hard, and your support means more than I can say. Email addresses for submitting Georgia Letters to the Editor: editor@accessnorthga.com (Atlanta) letters@ajc.com (Atlanta) letters@ledger-enquirer.com (Columbus) letters@mdjonline.com (Marietta) tgeditor@times-georgian.com (Carrollton) walkercountymessenger@walkermessenger.com (LaFayette) |