Today I co-chaired a hearing on global warming at the State Capitol.  The idea for the hearing originated with Senator Ross Tolleson, who chairs the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee.  He asked me to join him because I am the chairman of the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee, which deals with energy issues.

As I said at the hearing, glaciers once covered most of North America.  They have steadily receded over the last several thousand years as the world has grown warmer, and most of that warming has had nothing to do with human activity.  In fact, it is pretty clear that the temperature of the sun, which rises and falls in cycles, is the driving natural phenomenon.

As to whether human activity has accelerated the warming in the last hundred years, it seems logical that we have had some impact.  The controversy arises in determining the extent of that impact and what should be done about it.

Senator Tolleson arranged for us to hear from two witnesses.  Martin Rickerd, the British consul general, discussed his country’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including incentives and penalties on energy-intensive businesses and on automobile owners.  Dr. Harold Brown, professor emeritus from the University of Georgia, urged caution, saying that the human impact on climate is difficult to ascertain.  He also pointed out that climate experts were predicting a new Ice Age as late as the 1970s and demanding government action to “warm up” the planet.

More hearings are planned.  Global warming was an issue at the National Conference of State Legislatures meeting in Boston last summer.

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The AJC today reported the good news that Lake Lanier holds more water than originally believed.  But before you relax with a long shower, read beyond the headline.  The operations manager for the Army Corps of Engineers has clarified that instead of running out of water in 81 days, “we can can still supply enough water for us to live on for at least several months.”

Earlier in the week, an AJC guest columnist urged that Corps continue pumping water down the Chattahoochee River, arguing that the “mussels should not be sacrificied” because of poor planning by humans.  He makes worthwhile points about the importance of conservation and managing growth, but misses the larger point that the both humans and mussels are facing the same immediate danger — drought.  Lake Lanier is an artificial reservoir, constructed by the humans.  That reservoir is now being drained by the Corps of Engineers for the benefit of the mussels.  It is human planning that is saving the mussel, not endangering it.  And frankly, that makes little sense, if done to the detriment of the humans.

The potential loss of Grady Memorial Hospital has been rightly described as a ”disaster” for the metro Atlanta region.  But the loss of Grady pales in comparison to the emptying of Lake Lanier.  Without water, metro Atlanta faces a public health crisis of an unprecedented magnitude.

I wholly support Governor Perdue’s suit to stop the Corps from draining the lake. 

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Today’s AJC carries this alarming report that, at the rate things are going, Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River may run dry in as little as three months.

The state has ordered outdoor watering bans and encouraged voluntary water conservation, and all of us are hoping for rain.  But there is nothing we can do about a federal court order requiring the Army Corps of Engineers, which runs the Buford Dam, to keep releasing millions of gallons of water from the lake for the benefit of two endangered species of mussel. 

These little sea creatures live Florida, in the Apalachicola River, where the fresh water from Lake Lanier ends up before flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.  As I understand it, their mating cycle requires that they be bathed with a steady stream of water.  During a serious drought like the one we now face, the frisky critters would normally be in serious trouble.  But fortunately for them, we humans had the foresight to build the Buford Dam and create a giant reservoir of water that could be used to keep them bathed in good times and bad.

I do not want to be insensitive to the plight of any endangered species, but surely turning Lake Lanier into a mudhole cannot be good for biodiversity either.

Three years ago, I drafted a bill that would have encouraged the use of public-private partnerships to create a system of regional water reservoirs.  Even had the bill passed, we would still be five to seven years away from the first reservoir being constructed.  But five to eight years away is better than seven to ten years away.

The General Assembly is set to consider a statewide water plan in the upcoming session.  I would like to see regional reservoirs as part of that plan.  I would also like us to aggressively explore desalination and other emerging technologies. 

Responsible use and conservation are important, but we cannot rely on a strategy that puts us entirely at the mercy of the weather.  We need to increase the supply of fresh water and figure out the best way to store it for the times when Nature does not provide enough.

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The Lieutenant Governor has asked me to represent Georgia on the Southern States Energy Board.  The Board was created by an interestate compact to encourage collaboration among the Southern states on energy issues.  I appreciate the Lieutenant Governor’s confidence in me and look forward to my service.

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A family commitment prevents me from attending the reception for award recipients tonight, but I am nonetheless grateful to Georgia Conservation Voters for selecting me to receive one of its 2007 Environmental Leadership Awards.

I have always believed that respect for the environment is wholly compatible with respect for private property.  Georgia Conservation Voters has honored me with the same award three times before.

Several members of both the Senate and House will be honored tonight. For those of you who might be interested in attending, here is the invitation.

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I have already begun receiving letters and emails about one of our annual legislative controversies, deer baiting.  For those of you unfamiliar with the term, deer baiting is the use of corn feed (”bait”) to attract deer within range of a hunting stand where a deer hunter lies in wait.  Hunting deer over bait is illegal in Georgia and many other states.

Sportsmen are split over the practice.  Opponents say that hunting should entail, well, hunting, and that deer baiting gives the hunter unfair advantage.  They say that deer baiting is unsportsmanlike and hurts the image of hunting in general.  Among the leading opponents of deer baiting is the Georgia Wildlife Federation.

Proponents of deer baiting say that easier kills will increase interest in hunting, an important engine of economic development in South Georgia where hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on the sport each year.  They also say that Georgia’s deer population is too large and that baiting is needed as a game management tool to keep the deer herd at a healthy size.

I have struggled with this issue, and I know that it will come up again during this session.  What do you think?  Should hunting deer over bait be legal in Georgia? 

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