Action Message

SB 283 is a bill designed to allow investors to harvest buried and exposed old-growth pine and cypress logs from the bottoms of the Flint and Altamaha rivers.

Sen. Tommy Williams, one of the bill's sponsors, is in the forest-products business, and has been pursuing ways to get at those logs for many years. Senator Williams was successful in persuading his fellow legislators to pass SB 283. Your help is needed now to stop this bill that could cause great harm to the Altamaha River.

Please contact Governor Perdue and ask that he veto SB 283. The Savannah Morning News and other links provide more background on this bill.

Contacting the Governor
Via the web:
(no email address available, click here for the contact form on the state website)

Via snail mail:
Governor Sonny Perdue
Office of the Governor
Georgia State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334

Thanks to all of you who contacted your representative about SB 283. Unfortunately the bill passed the House on 3/22. The Motion to Reconsider failed on 3/24. You can see how your legislator voted by clicking into www.legis.state.ga.us. This will take you to a page for the 2005 -2006 session. Go down the page to "retrieve the bill", then type in SB 283. The next page gives you options for linking to the bill as well as the vote sheets for each action. You can follow this process to find out more about any piece of legislation considered in this year's session.

SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS
Web posted March 28, 2005 EDITORIAL
Sink 'deadhead' logging

EVERY SESSION, Georgia lawmakers rush through and approve bills without giving them the careful consideration they deserve. This year, one of those bills is a measure that would let divers salvage sunken logs from two river bottoms in the state.

Called "deadhead logging," this practice has been illegal in Georgia since 1998. A state Department of Natural Resources committee that looked at this issue in 2003 recommended that it remain against the law, citing biological, legal, economic and historical concerns.

Unfortunately, lawmakers let politics and special interests trump science and the state's own recommendations..

By a 31-1 vote on March 11, the Senate approved a deadhead logging bill (S.B. 283) for the Altamaha and Flint rivers with little public debate. By the time it got to the House almost two weeks later, lawmakers were aware of its ramifications - and it passed by a single vote (Chatham County's delegation was 4-1 in opposition, with State Reps. Tom Bordeaux, Bob Bryant, Buddy Carter and Lester Jackson voting "no" and State Rep. Burke Day voting "yes.")

Gov. Sonny Perdue should veto the measure. Then, he should follow the DNR panel's recommendations.

That 14-member committee, which included scientists, foresters and environmentalists, said several studies should be completed before the state opens up its rivers to deadhead logging. That's the least governor should do before making a decision that will have a lasting impact on the public's rivers.

Deadhead logging is legal in a few states, including Florida. There, salvage teams have pulled up old-growth, longleaf pines and cypress logs from the river bottoms. The dense, hard wood has resisted moisture, and its tight grain pattern makes it desirable for high-end builders who turn it into unique wood flooring and paneling.

But the salvage operations also stir up massive amounts of silt, which could ruin fish habitats and pollute the water. The sunken logs, like artificial reefs off the coast, have been part of the eco-system for decades, if not longer. They provide food and cover for a variety of fish and invertebrates - assets that would be lost if loggers yank them from riverbeds.

Even if Georgia wants to allow deadhead logging, then it should have the good business sense not to lose money.

Florida taxpayers spent about $200,000 to administer its salvage program during the first year, followed by $125,000 annually in subsequent years. But the Georgia bill proposes an annual permit fee of $10,000 for salvagers. There's also a concern about the damage that loggers could do to public boat ramps. At the very least, administrative costs must not exceed the economic benefits.

The rivers belong to the people of Georgia. Homeowners who want fancy, rare wood can still find it in other places, including old buildings that are being torn down. A bill that would allow river bottoms to be ripped up, without knowing the full consequences, and put too much of the burden on taxpayers is short-sighted - and a bad deal. Mr. Perdue should sink it with his veto pen.

Sumberged log task force report >>>

Atlanta Jounal-Constitution 3/22/05 Story >>>