NASHVILLE, TN – Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen should move quickly to defend Tennessee’s southern border against a new plan by Georgia to claim a mile-wide stretch of Marion County.

As reported in various media including the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the Associated Press, Georgia policymakers are preparing to claim that Tennessee’s legal southern border through Marion County is one mile north of where it is currently marked – for the purpose of moving the Georgia border to include a piece of the Tennessee River and the Nickajack Reservoir.

Georgia wants access to water from the Tennessee River. The drought that has impacted many counties in Tennessee has been severe in Georgia, and the population explosion, especially around Atlanta, and poor planning regarding infrastructure has resulted in Georgia politicians eyeing their neighbors’ natural resources.

The Tennessee River is vital to the people and the economy of Tennessee and northern Alabama. Besides drinking water, the river facilitates economic growth, transportation, and recreation. One measure of how important it is: Water from the Tennessee River is used to cool the reactors at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Sequoyah Nuclear Generation Station in Soddy-Daisy, Watts Bar Nuclear Generation Station in Rhea County, and Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Decatur, Ala.

“Gov. Bredesen needs to stand up to this latest attempt by Georgia to take our resources,” said Bill Hobbs, communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party. “Tennessee’s southern border was established in 1818. Tennessee residents living at the southern edge of Marion County should not wake up one day to find themselves declared to be Georgia residents, and Tennessee’s water is being diverted to Atlanta.”

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Bill Hobbs
Communications Director
Tennessee Republican Party
2424 21st Avenue, Suite 200
Nashville, Tennessee 37212
Phone: (615) 269-4260
Email: billhobbs@tngop.org