Bob Barr: “Mr. Chairman, I have closely monitored the progress of the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa, or ACT, and the…”

“Mr. Chairman, I have closely monitored the progress of the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa, or ACT, and the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint, or ACF, Tri-State Water Compact negotiations over the last 3 years. I am most concerned with a proposal that has recently and repeatedly surfaced concerning a major interbasin transfer of water from Lake Allatoona in northwest Georgia in the ACT river basin to Lake Lanier, which is in a completely different river basin, the ACF. The proposal calls for an authorization of up to 200 million gallons per day transfer of water from Lake Allatoona to Lake Lanier. Not only is this a strong point of contention in negotiations between Alabama and Georgia, but it is also causing a great deal of concern among Federal stakeholders and the many elected officials, local governments, water authorities, and other stakeholders within the ACT, and in particular the Coosa and Tallapoosa regions. Mr. Chairman, I strongly oppose any consideration of an interbasin transfer.”