ATLANTA - Both houses of the Georgia General Assembly have now passed a power line bill which is being watched closed by a number of northeast Georgians.
According the Georgia General Assembly Web site, the House has agreed to a Senate version of the bill, which the upper chamber approved a couple of weeks ago.
The bill is designed to give property owners additional protection from utilities that want to condemn their land for powerlines.
Keeping a close eye on the bill are citizens groups in Hall, Lumpkin, and Rabun counties where disputes over proposed powerlines have raged for months. The Hall/Lumpkin interests involve plans by Georgia Power for a high-transmission line from Lula to Dahlonega.
The legislation was introduced last year by State Representative Ralph Twiggs of Hiawassee and passed the House in April. But, a consumer group lobbying for stricter government regulation of where power lines are located blasted the legislation as nothing more than a "power company bill."
Over the summer and into the fall, citizens met several times to map their strategy and plan for public hearings held by state lawmakers in October and November.
Sunday
May 19th, 2024
11:47AM
