GERALD GREENE: Legislative session included protections for natural resources

Georgia’s state parks and historic sites, coupled with our public lands managed for wildlife and research purposes, are excellent resources for all citizens and draw tourists from all over the Southeast and the nation. Georgians also are lucky to have access to more than 500,000 acres of public waters and 16,000 miles of streams and rivers. Our Georgia state parks attract 11 million visitors a year, which provides our state with an economic impact of one billion dollars and more than 10,000 local jobs.

Georgia’s hunters, anglers and boaters, along with others who enjoy spending time outdoors, provide more financial support for Georgia’s conservation efforts than all of the conservation groups combined. Their investment in Georgia resulted in state investments of more than $44 million for game management, $17 million for fisheries, and $10 million for wildlife conservation. Georgians also purchase special license plates to support the preservation of our natural resources, sending $2.4 million directly to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

In this year‘s budget, $16 million was included to implement the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act. This program provides funding to state agencies, local governments, and certain other organizations for parks, trail, and conservation efforts all over the state. Additionally, the budget includes almost $17 million in bonds for investment and park projects and improvements for recreation and facilities in our state parks. Doughtery County and Clay County will be recipients of some of these funds for special projects.

During this past session, we passed legislation to protect our valuable natural resources and citizens from environmental hazards that can cause damage. House bill 857 prohibits the burning of railroad ties treated with creosote or other harmful compounds to generate commercial electricity, once again protecting our citizens and environment.

We also passed Senate Bill 123, which raises the local government surcharge, also called a tipping fee, for specific municipal solid waste disposal facilities that accept coal combustion residuals known as coal ash. These facilities are now required to raise the tipping fee per ton of coal ash disposed of in their facility. This tipping fee will reduce the coal ash deposited in Georgia, which will protect our waterways and other Valuable natural resources.

Finally, in an essential step for Georgia’s boaters, House Bill 833 was passed by the House and Senate this session and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp on June 29. House Bill 833 prevents long-term anchoring in restricted areas of Georgia’s waters unless a permit is issued. These restricted areas are located near marinas, other marine structures, commercial shellfish growing areas, and designated public harvest areas. This legislation will help keep Georgians safe on our waterways and protect our valuable estuaries.

I know that many of you share my love for the great outdoors. I am proud of the work we have done this year to protect our natural resources so that future generations can have the same memorable experiences that we have had in Georgia’s forest, fields and waterways. Thank you for allowing me to serve you as your representative in District 151. It is truly an honor for me to serve you at the Georgia General Assembly, and if I can ever be of service, please call me at (404) 656-5105 or email me at [email protected].

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