Your morning jolt: Democratic rivals tackle Barnes on water

We’re awash in talk about water.

On Thursday, former governor and current Democratic candidate Roy Barnes appeared before a group of commercial real estate agents and talked a great deal about the threat to growth posed by a federal judge’s ruling that metro Atlanta has no legal right to use Lake Lanier for drinking water.

Use every rock quarry and depression north of Atlanta for reservoirs, Barnes advised. The former governor also said he was interested in the idea of storing water underground — which would require no permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The latter suggestion prompted House Democratic Leader DuBose Porter of Dublin, also a candidate for governor, to call early this morning to declare underground reservoirs to be about the dumbest “and most dangerous thing we could do.”

“Florida tried that and ended up putting arsenic in the water,” Porter said. “Even Republicans with some of the worst [environmental] records have voted against that.”

But David Poythress, the former head of the National Guard and another Democratic candidate, says that neither Barnes nor Porter have any standing on the issue. Poythress included another primary rival, Attorney General Thurbert Baker, for good measure.

Said Poythress, in a statement issued late Thursday:

It’s not as if our water rights problem snuck up on us, as some in this race would have you believe. Our water problems have been around while Barnes, Baker and Porter have been in a position to address them.

On his watch as Gov. Roy Barnes facilitated the failed water resolution strategy in the courts — and now we’re paying for it.

Thurbert Baker was complicit in Barnes’ and Perdue’s legal strategies as attorney general.

And Dubose Porter has been sitting on his hands in the legislature while Georgia lost case after case.

Simply put, my opponents have been asleep at the switch on this and other critical issues for years. But now they talk about their “new” ideas on how to address them. I find this hypocritical and a clear warning signal for “talk rather than action” type of leadership.

On the Republican side, state Sen. Chip Pearson of Dawsonville is calling on Gov. Sonny Perdue to create a three-year plan to meet the state’s future water needs. In an op-ed piece in the Dawson Times, Pearson, too, floats the idea of storing water underground:

We can tap into the aquifers throughout South Georgia and use the Oconee National Forest for more storage. Finally, let’s not overlook the Georgia coast and opportunities to build desalination plants potentially co-located with power generation, as it has been successfully done in other states……

Starting with next year’s budget, the state should dedicate a huge portion, maybe even a majority, of the bond package for the next three years to fund reservoir construction and water distribution projects.

Meanwhile, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has declared himself more comfortable with Gov. Sonny Perdue’s appointment of Michael Garrett, president and CEO of Georgia Power, to lead a Georgia team of negotiators in the tri-state water negotiations forced by the federal court decision.

This from Georgia Public Broadcasting:

Riley reversed his position after speaking with the head of Georgia Power’s corporate parent, Southern Company.

Governor Riley first said he was uneasy with having the head of Georgia Power take the lead role on behalf of Georgia in water negotiations. He also indicated it could be a barrier to talks between Georgia, Florida and Alabama. But later Riley reversed his position, explaining he had assurances from David Ratcliffe, the Southern Company’s CEO:

“As long as Georgia Power can represent their interests in the state of Georgia, and Alabama Power is fully unconstrained to represent their interests in the state of Alabama, then I really don’t see a problem.

“If Georgia Power, and as a result, Southern Company, activated their lobbying apparatus, which we have been assured by David Ratcliffe that that will not happen, that would have been a concern to Alabama and Florida,” said Riley, in an interview with Alabama Public Radio.

A spokesman for Perdue says new dates for renewed negotiations among the three states could be announced as early as today.

Just in case you haven’t heard enough about loose talk at health care forums hosted by members of Congress, the Athens Banner-Herald offers this from U.S. Sen. Paul Broun, a Republican who represents east Georgia:

At another point, Broun, who last year made national news by comparing Obama to Hitler, called Cuba’s former dictator Fidel Castro and leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Obama’s “good buddy.”

He also spoke of a “socialistic elite” — Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — who might use a pandemic disease or natural disaster as an excuse to declare martial law.

“They’re trying to develop an environment where they can take over,” he said. “We’ve seen that historically.”

While you ponder that, consider these items found while perusing this morning’s ajc.com:

Georgia economists: Recession over, but recovery will be painful.

Perdue appoints Nahmias to Georgia Supreme Court.

University system won’t furlough foreign workers.

Chance for Southwest flights in Atlanta dashed.

Norwood wins firefighters’ backing.

Atlanta mayoral candidates to answer on finances.

Sharpton, Gingrich, Duncan in Atlanta to talk school reform.

Alternative schools granted waivers for classroom hours.

Home-schoolers can apply to state-funded honors program.

Gwinnett County gets temporary OK to collect taxes.

Marietta OKs bond referendum for parks.

Some opinion:

Your Luckovich fix.

The dignity to die is part of our shared humanity.

We need a plan for high-speed rail.

From elsewhere in Georgia:

InsiderAdvantage: Matt Towery asks, ‘Is Isakson in trouble?’

And beyond:

Politico: Newt Gingrich’s six-point plan for a Sarah Palin comeback.

WP: Howard Kurtz bets that John Edwards is the daddy.

NYT: China scales back software filter plan.

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