The Council for Quality Growth saw one of its newest members grace the cover of The Wall Street Journal this week. Brad Carver, an attorney with Hall, Booth & Smith was featured for his work on House Resolution 4, which passed the Georgia General Assembly overwhelmingly in the 2013 Legislative Session.
Georgia has contended over the last two centuries, the original border drawn by Congress in 1796 on the 35th Parallel, which includes a portion of the Tennessee River, is the border recognized to be the true Georgia line. However, a survey conducted in 1818, that was ratified and accepted by Tennessee, but never by Georgia, placed the Georgia border a mile southward, which left out the Tennessee River entirely, and has remained that way ever since.
The current border it is argued is Unconstitutional due to Article IV, Section 3, which states, “New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.” No consent was ever given by Ga.
H.R.4 (the 10th Resolution from Georgia since 1887 calling for a change in the border) seeks to resolve a dispute with the State of Tennessee regarding the Georgia-Tennessee boundary. A flawed survey will be corrected by moving a portion of the current Georgia-Tennessee boundary and authorizing the Governor of Georgia to enter into negotiations with the State of Tennessee.
However, if an agreement resolving the boundary dispute is not reached by the last day of the General Assembly regular session in 2014, the Attorney General of Georgia is authorized and directed to take such action as is required to initiate suit in the United States Supreme Court against the State of Tennessee for final settlement of the boundary issue.
Georgia is conceding 66 miles in exchange for 1.5 miles, just enough to get a pipe into a wide inlet at a dammed-up part of the river called Nickajack Lake, to supply Georgians with more than a billion gallons of water a day. If signed by the Governor, the Resolution will then go before the Tennessee Legislature. If approved by Tennessee, the measure will then go before the United States Congress for approval.
This is a very important resolution to Georgia and the Council for Quality Growth supports any solution that helps to solve Georgia’s, and especially Metro-Atlanta’s water issues. The Council commends Brad on his work on this issue and looks forward to working with all parties to resolve an issue crucial not only to Metro Atlanta, but all of Georgia.
To read The Wall Street Journal article, Click HERE