State needs more mass transit, clean energy
“Ga. must keep investing in transportation” (AJC, Feb 2) celebrates Gov. Brian Kemp’s “forward looking policy decisions.” So do I, because they promoted companies dedicated to clean energy manufacturing.
This op-ed suggests we need “forward-looking transportation improvements.” I am all for that, too, if by that, we mean far more than adding lanes to highways.
The future needs to develop much more mass transit including the trucks-only highway plan proposed in 2018, and appeal to future EV drivers by supporting reliable recharging access.
Georgia utilities need to shift to non-polluting sources to keep attracting futuristic-minded young people and manufacturing companies. Wise transportation policy should encourage the latest clean energy developments like the independent nonprofit The Ray’s vision of solar highways.
That would be exciting and give hope to our younger generations. The future should become more sustainable.
BOB JAMES, ATLANTA
Marshland heist bill must be opposed
House Bill 370, now in the General Assembly, would undermine the longstanding requirement for private landowners to prove they possess a “King’s Grant” to secure benefits of Georgia marshland conservation easements.
But HB 370 outrageously shifts this burden-of-proof onto the state. If passed and signed into law, the bill would award conservation easements to private owners of adjacent uplands making claims to King’s Grants if state officials cannot disprove them within six months.
Once granted by default under HB 370, these unproven claims can then be used by dishonest applicants to dodge taxes by getting credits for conservation easements on marshlands for which there’s no proof that they own.
HB 370 is a brazen, unjustified entitlement grab by unscrupulous marsh-front property owners seeking unsubstantiated tax credits, forcing the public to make up the difference.
Voters are urged to contact members of the General Assembly House and Senate – particularly the House Rules Committee – to stop this outrageous, unwarranted claim on treasured marshlands that belong to the people of Georgia.
DAVID KYLER, CENTER FOR A SUSTAINABLE COAST, SAINT SIMONS ISLAND
