Tanker Recompetition Must Be Finished Quickly
By
Associated Press
Published: Wed, December 19, 2007 - 11:31 am
Shelby of Alabama for slipping language into a massive end-of-year
spending bill, blocking the federal government from updating the
manuals that guide water-sharing in the region.
Georgia lawmakers have for years argued that the Army Corps of
Engineers plans are outdated and do not reflect their state's rapid
growth. Alabama officials, meanwhile, have fought any updates until
the parties can agree on an underlying sharing formula.
The Corps announced in October that it would rewrite manauls for
the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa river basin, which runs southwest
through Georgia and Alabama. The process could take up to three
years, officials said.
But Shelby's provision would bar the agency from spending money
on the effort.
"The governors of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida are finally at
the negotiating table finding a way forward on this very difficult
issue," Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said Wednesday, referring to
recent water-sharing negotiations. "It is mind boggling to see
this language in the omnibus bill intended to block that
progress."
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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