That quote is from an U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official — he's talking about how the chicken processors' environmental impact is regulated in Georgia, in that often the processors regulate themselves. The state has just two inspectors overseeing industrial storm water pollution permits at some 3,000 sites; some of the most aggressive testing is done by volunteers.

Those concerns were validated this year when surprise inspections found that two companies were failing to do enough to prevent waste and manure from washing into a Georgia creek that empties into Lake Lanier. Sometimes after rains, Flat Creek is so choked with garbage you can barely see the water, one volunteer said.

But one poultry official said the plants are not the only ones to blame for high levels of bacteria.

Keep Reading

If the Senate's version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passes, the 30% federal tax credits offered for clean energy installations — such as these solar panels being installed atop an Ellenwood home in 2022 — would be sunset by the end of 2025. (Jason Getz/AJC 2022)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Featured

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Credit: AP