The state Senate Friday approved a bill that would rewrite the rules for building petroleum lines in Georgia.
Senate Bill 191 would limit the ability of pipeline companies to use eminent domain for surveying and acquiring private land. Companies could not use eminent domain – an involuntary seizure – unless they received a "certificate of need" from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority and a permit from the state Environmental Protection Division.
The proposal comes after a joint legislative commission last year heard complaints that pipeline companies had abused the eminent domain process.
Under the bill, companies not seeking to use eminent domain would still have to get a permit from state environmental officials under a regulatory review lasting up to 180 days.
Senator also approved an amendment that would prohibit any permit for a pipeline or extension within an area included in the Georgia Coastal Zone Management Program, which includes 11 counties. Sen. Rick Jeffares, R-McDonough, the bill's sponsor, said the amendment would protect the drinking water of residents in an environmentally sensitive area.
The bill passed by a vote of 40 to 13. It now goes to the House of Representatives.
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