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DEL.ICIO.USIn the Georgia-Florida water wars, Obama sides with 27 electoral votes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s your political math question for the day: If you’re running for president, would you rather win Florida, with its 27 electoral votes, or Georgia, with its 15?
Doh.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama may have tipped his hand this week when he sided with the Florida panhandle in a three-decade water war that also includes Georgia and Alabama.
According to the Associated Press, Obama released a statement Thursday saying he would make protecting the Apalachicola River and Bay a priority.
He’s calling for a National Research Council study to ensure enough water comes into Florida to meet environmental and commercial fishing needs.
The Apalachicola, whether bay or river, is fed by the Chattahoochee River, metro Atlanta’s primary source of fluids. Florida believes Georgia uses too much water from the river system for municipal purposes.
You have to wonder whether Georgia could argue that Florida uses up too many electoral votes — 10 percent of the nationally required dose — for presidential purposes.
Republicans — in Georgia, anyway — quickly pounced on Obama for his failure to see things our way.
“It is unfortunate that you wish to undo the good work we have done to find a solution for all the people in the river basin and instead prioritize the needs of only the people of Florida,” wrote U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson in a letter addressed to Obama, which also noted his “recent and sudden interest” in the matter.
The entire missive appears on the jump.
Dear Senator Obama:
We are writing to express our disappointment with comments made yesterday by you and your campaign relating to water allocation issues in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) River basins.
As you may know, these river basins serve Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. While we appreciate your recent and sudden interest in the tri-state water issues we have been working on for the past six years, the comments by you and your campaign reflect a fundamental lack of understanding of the nature of the problems in the ACF and ACT basins, a lack of understanding of the requirements of the Army Corps of Engineers with regards to the ACF and ACT basins under federal law, and a cavalier disregard for the needs of the residents of Georgia.
According to your campaign’s statement, you “would direct the National Research Council (NRC) to conduct a study to assess the water availability, supply options, and demand-management alternatives that factor into ACF River System usage, as well as the impact of freshwater flow on the ecology of the Apalachicola River and Bay.” You also said “As President, I will make protecting Florida’s water resources a priority.”
As you may know, the Army Corps of Engineers is required under federal law to update the water control manuals for the ACF and ACT basins, and recently announced it would begin doing so in the ACT basin.
We were pleased to hear from Secretary of the Army Pete Geren personally that the Corps is moving forward with updating these manuals, because it will allow the Corps to make smarter decisions in their management of these river systems. We have underscored to him how important this action is.
As you also may know such an update would include studies to assess water supply and demand, and environmental management practices for ALL the users and stakeholder in the basins, not just those on the Apalachicola River and Bay. To ask the Corps to ignore its responsibilities under federal law in favor of the residents of Florida is a clear affront to the residents of Georgia. To state that you will make protecting Florida’s water resources a priority over Georgia’s shows that you do not care about the needs of the people of Georgia.
We have continually worked to get Georgia, Florida and Alabama together and to force the Corp of Engineers to update a 20-year-old Water Control Plan for the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basins. In 2006 we held Senate hearings in Gainesville and Columbus to implore the Corps to keep its commitment to update its outdated water control plan for the two river basins.
On August 1, 2007, we met with Secretary Geren as well as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works John Paul Woodley, Lieutenant General Robert L. Van Antwerp and General Counsel Craig Schmauder. At the meeting, Secretary Geren indicated his desire to give mediation time to work before starting the update of the water control manuals.
When Secretary Geren gave his commitment to us that if and when mediation broke down and was not making progress, he would begin the update of the water control manuals, we held him to that promise. On September 28, 2007, after judges involved in the mediation announced that the talks had broken down, we sent a letter to Secretary Geren strongly urging him to honor his pledge to update the water control plan.
On October 18, 2007, Secretary Woodley told both of us by telephone that the Corps will start the process for updating the water control manual for the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin.
We also facilitated meetings in Washington between the Governors of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, as well as meetings between the Governors and the Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, and Council on Environmental Quality Chairman Jim Connaughton. We continue to work with the Governors and their staffs to come to a solution so the states can take advantage of the productive talks they have had and agree on a resolution.
From Lake Lanier to Lake Allatoona, from Atlanta to West Point Lake, and from LaGrange to Columbus, we have worked to find a solution that benefits not only the people of our state, but all those who reside in the river basins. It is unfortunate that you wish to undo the good work we have done to find a solution for all the people in the river basin and instead prioritize the needs of only the people of Florida.
Sincerely,
Saxby Chambliss
United States Senator
Johnny Isakson
United States Senator
Services »
Comments
By Terrell Bell
October 17, 2008 3:39 PM | Link to this
Another reason to not vote for Obama. Actually, he should be investigated for attempted murder since he wants to force the metro Atlanta area into service dehydration that could cause massive deaths. Yeah, that’s who we want as our next President. Lock Obama up and throw away the Key!
By T** for Tat
October 17, 2008 4:02 PM | Link to this
Of course, if one applies this standard to Obama….
Wow, then there really wouldn’t be much Federal Republican leadership left, would there?
Attempted murder of children. Attempted destruction of the environment. Attempted murder of soldiers through inaction. Attempted murder of anyone who has any kind of medical condition. Attempted theft for failure regulate the financial industry.
Watch Republicans now say, “Democrats are more guilty!” “Democrats did it too!”
Nothing new from Republicans.
By Jason
October 17, 2008 4:06 PM | Link to this
It also might be that if Georgia weren’t so backward in voting reflexively for the GOP, Obama might not have issued a statement at all, or he might have issued a more balanced one. There are consequences for how you vote.
By Justin
October 17, 2008 4:48 PM | Link to this
Atlanta is probably the most pro-Obama area of Georgia, and on the flip-side of that, south Georgia is not exactly blue. Anyone downstream suffers from Atlanta’s water use, republican, democrat, georgian, or floridian. Atlanta does use too much water, sprawl is outrageous, and people do not conserve water appropriately. Downstream people are entitled to a reasonable share of water. That does not mean that Atlanta needs to die by dehydration, drinking water is top priority, and I do not think that protection of the reasonable flow in Apalachicola bay and maintaining the reasonable amount of domestic water in Atlanta are mutually exclusive. When he says he wants to make protection of the bay a priority, he is not necessarily saying that everything in Atlanta must cease.
By Justin
October 17, 2008 4:55 PM | Link to this
Atlanta is probably the most pro-Obama area of Georgia, and on the flip-side of that, south Georgia is not exactly blue. Anyone downstream suffers from Atlanta’s water use, republican, democrat, georgian, or floridian. Atlanta does use too much water, sprawl is outrageous, and people do not conserve water appropriately. Downstream people are entitled to a reasonable share of water. That does not mean that Atlanta needs to die by dehydration, drinking water is top priority, and I do not think that protection of the reasonable flow in Apalachicola bay and maintaining the reasonable amount of domestic water in Atlanta are mutually exclusive. When he says he wants to make protection of the bay a priority, he is not necessarily saying that everything in Atlanta must cease.
By Tom
October 17, 2008 5:00 PM | Link to this
re: “When he says he wants to make protection of the bay a priority, he is not necessarily saying that everything in Atlanta must cease.”
Maybe, but when he says “As President, I will make protecting Florida’s water resources a priority,” he chooses sides.
By Sprawl Crawl
October 17, 2008 5:02 PM | Link to this
News flash: It is North Georgia that uses the water and sprawls more than Atlanta.
That’s Republican territory.
By Sam
October 17, 2008 5:24 PM | Link to this
What a change agent! Go for the votes, not policy. Sounds just like Chicago.
By Sam
October 17, 2008 5:26 PM | Link to this
What a change agent! Go for the votes, not policy. Sounds just like Chicago.
By tan
October 17, 2008 5:59 PM | Link to this
everybody grow up. he called for a study. study—to be looked and evaluated. obviously there will be a time for input from all states. when did we get so nervous. is it the economy. we’re so jittery that we pounce on the least little thing. if the adults keep acting like kids, what will the kids have left to do. by the way, i didn’t use capitalization by choice, not ignorance.
By tan
October 17, 2008 6:04 PM | Link to this
everybody grow up. he called for a study. study—to be looked and evaluated. obviously there will be a time for input from all states. when did we get so nervous. is it the economy. we’re so jittery that we pounce on the least little thing. if the adults keep acting like kids, what will the kids have left to do. by the way, i didn’t use capitalization by choice, not ignorance.
By Kim
October 17, 2008 7:43 PM | Link to this
The main reason I don’t get into politics, is because everything is taken out of context and/or misconstrued. My personal choice is Obama over McCain any day. Obama doesn’t really have to do any campaigning. The McCain camp is literally shooting themselves in the foot. Republicans know this. A drowning person will grab at whatever he can to stay afloat. That’s why they will take anything and run with it, to include Obama’s position on the three-decade water war. Why has it taken state officials 30 years to resolve this on going issue? Republicans, instead of nit-picking at Obama, you should redirect your disappointment to where it should be. The McCain camp. People who continue to support McCain simply because he’s republican/white are ignorant. If I was a republican I would be mad as you know what right now.
By sammy
October 17, 2008 9:30 PM | Link to this
Tan, you say “he called for a study”.
The Army Corps of engineers is REQUIRED by federal law to do a study, a study they already have started.
Way to be a “change agent.” Gee…let me call for something that it already going on.
Hmmm…
By Andhakari
November 29, 2008 1:36 AM | Link to this
LOL Georgia (the Chamber of Commerce types, anyway) has done all it can to pump up development and the strain on its natural resources for the last 30 years that I have personal experience with. Georgia has been repeatedly warned but they’ve always acted like a bunch of Yankee carpetbaggers. Now it’s time to reap what they’ve sown. Time to dry up and blow away.