Allen Barnes, former director of the state's Environmental Protection Division, has a new job with an Atlanta firm that consults on the building of reservoirs. State law does not allow him to lobby on the firm's behalf for a year, and he is not registered as a lobbyist with the state.
Barnes left the EPD last month after a two-year stint. His departure coincided with an ongoing review by the agency of a proposed reservoir in south Fulton County. Barnes' new firm, Joe Tanner & Associates, has consulted on that project.
The firm, which Barnes is heading as president and CEO, possesses a roster of well-connected veterans that includes one of his predecessors at the EPD. Tanner, for whom the firm is named, is also a former state labor commissioner and Department of Natural Resources commissioner.
The firm works on state legislation and consults on local issues, including reservoirs. Its clients have included national companies and Georgia counties. Barnes said Friday that he will work within the law to help those clients, as well as take on administrative work within the firm.
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