Gooch receives committee assignments

ATLANTA - Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega) has been named Ex-Officio of the Senate Natural Resources and the Environment Committee for the 2011-2012 Term by the Senate Committee on Assignments.

"I consider it a great privilege to serve alongside my fellow colleagues as part of the Natural Resources Committee," said Sen. Gooch. "As a senator representing the 51st District, we are blessed to have an abundance of natural resources such as the Chattahoochee National Forest, some of the most pristine trout streams in Georgia, the tallest waterfalls east of the Mississippi and beautiful mountain vistas as far as the eye can see. I look forward to shaping public policy that will safeguard these precious resources for years to come."

The Natural Resources and the Environment Committee addresses issues such as energy resources and development, including regulation, conservation, strategic reserves and standards; public lands and their renewable resources; surface mining, coal, oil, and gas, other mineral leasing; and water resources.

Sen. Gooch will continue to serve as Secretary of the Senate Transportation Committee, and as a member of the Economic Development Committee, Government Oversight Committee, State and Local Government Operations Committee and the State Institutions and Property Committee.

The 153rd Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly will convene January 9, 2012 at the State Capitol.