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WATER POLITICS

Via WaterCrunch, an interesting list of the top 10 water war “quotes” that have emerged thus far in the ongoing battle over scarce water resources in the southeastern United States in which a federal judge recently ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been illegally reallocating water from Lake Lanier to meet metro Atlanta’s needs:

“I will not negotiate a deal that’s harmful to the future of Georgia. Just won’t happen, We’ll take our chance in court before we’ll agree to a deal that does not meet the needs of a growing and prosperous Georgia.”- Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue

“Even if it is appealed, we would win again. What they have been doing is illegal. They should not be able to continue to do something that is illegal.” -Alabama Gov. Bob Riley
the ruling “was a huge step in the right direction. “- Florida Gov. Charlie Crist

“… we need to sit down and make an agreement. Then hopefully we can appeal to a higher calling and that higher calling will get everyone to put aside past differences.” Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson

“I think the governors all felt they were likely to be victorious. I kept telling them that if you don’t settle it, somebody’s going to win and somebody’s going to lose,” – US Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

“Now we’re going to have to deal not with just two other states — we’re literally going to have 50 states involved, It’s going to be a real challenge.”- U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia

“Floridians love to make fun of wasteful and sprawling Atlanta. But guess what? Water use there at its worst was about 120 gallons per person per day in the 10-county metro region. Florida’s statewide average is 158 gallons a person” – Cynthia Barnett, author of Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S.

“All of us have 18 months left. All of us are Republicans. There’s no reason the three governors can’t get together and come up with a solution that addresses the needs of the three states.” -Alabama Gov. Bob Riley

“Georgia’s Republican leaders have been using lawyers and engineers and political fixers to put off this day, and all of the millions of dollars poured into that effort has finally come to nothing,”- Georgia House Democratic leader and gubernatorial candidate DuBose Porter

“Atlanta has based its growth on the idea that it could take whatever water it wanted whenever it wanted it, and that the downstream states would simply have to make do with less. Following the court’s ruling today, this massive illegal water grab will be coming to an end.” – Alabama Gov. Bob Riley.