The House has signed off on a controversial measure that opponents say will limit the public’s ability to float and paddle on Georgia’s smaller waterways.
The proposal, sponsored by Waycross Republican Rep. James Burchett, is being billed as an attempt to clarify a last-minute measure passed last session after landowners along the Flint River successfully asserted in court that they can control who is allowed to fish near their property.
Burchett, who is the majority whip in the House, says his bill is needed to address the concerns that arose from landowners and representatives of the state’s agriculture industry, who have said last year’s attempt to protect public fishing access could make operations with water withdrawal permits vulnerable to lawsuits.
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