A proposal to give the state Department of Transportation and its contractors a pass when polluting Georgia's waterways has been tacked onto another bill creating concerns in the governor's office and even for the transportation commissioner.
“We’re moving forward,” Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Mullis said after the committee amended House Bill 137, which calls for the DOT and its contractors to receive warnings, not fines, the first two times the agency's projects pollute rivers, lakes and streams.
The move Tuesday afternoon revives a stalled House proposal to give the DOT a break as the state’s largest payer of fines to the Environmental Protection Agency. Over the past decade, the DOT racked up $2 million in fines for water pollution. It paid $800,000 of the fines, and contractors settled the rest.
The amendment to HB 137 could put the entire bill at risk, including updates to several noncontroversial transportation items.
“[HB] 137 obviously has a lot of important provisions that the governor wants to move forward on," said Josh Waller, the transportation adviser to Gov. Nathan Deal. "There is some concern about being able to reach an agreement with the [amendment].”
Transportation Commissioner Vance Smith recommended the committee approve HB 137 without the amendment.
“This is a totally different issue,” Smith said of the breaks. “We can continue this discussion later.”
The House -- facing worries about federal interference, as well opponents who objected to removing the teeth from environmental regulations -- rejected a measure giving the agency those breaks.
The bill now heads to the Senate Rules Committee, which will decide whether the full chamber will vote on the revised proposal.
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