The Tennessee legislature didn't rise to the bait when Georgia legislators asked the state to form a border commission so Georgia could move the state line a mile north to take water out of the Tennessee River.

So will Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen now take the hook?

The Georgia legislature dangled it Friday, passing a bill inviting Bredesen, instead of a border commission, to negotiate directly with Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue over the state's border and water dispute.

Georgia State Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth) said Saturday he authored the legislation making Perdue the point man instead of a Georgia border commission because a stalemate had been reached — and Tennessee lawmakers weren't budging.

"This controversy has gone on long enough without being resolved," Shafer said. "There have been nearly a dozen efforts to resolve this over the years, as recently as the 1980s. It's time to settle it."

The Georgia legislature passed a resolution in February calling for a border commission to move the state line back to the 35th parallel — as mandated by Congress when the original state line was drawn — so part of the Tennessee River would be in Georgia, and the state could tap it for a badly needed new water supply.

Lydia Lenker, a spokeswoman for Bredesen, said in a prepared statement Saturday that her governor and Perdue briefly talked several weeks ago about Georgia getting water from the Tennessee River, "and Gov. Bredesen made it clear that he has no intention of moving Tennessee's border, nor will he give away Tennessee's natural resources."

Marshall Guest, deputy press secretary for Perdue, said Saturday that the governor, expected to return from a trade mission to China that night, is keeping an open mind.

"Gov. Perdue will continue to look at ways to provide for the long-term water needs of Georgia, which could include meaningful discussions with Gov. Bredesen and our friends in Tennessee," said Guest.

A group has drawn up a plan to tap the Tennessee at Nickajack Lake west of Chattanooga and pipe water south to Atlanta. Experts have estimated the pipeline would cost at least $1 billion and probably take years to build.

According to the Tennessee Valley Authority, which regulates the Tennessee River, Georgia could take 264 million gallons of water a day and not significantly drop water levels in reservoirs or impair navigation on the waterway.

According to the Georgia legislation, if Bredesen refuses to negotiate, Georgia's attorney general can file suit in the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve the matter.

And that's where legal experts have said the dispute is likely to end up anyway.