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February 07, 2008
Oh the water is wide — just not wide enough
I received a press release from the Tennessee Republican Party yesterday evening that brings up a very delicate issue.
The state GOP is reacting to legislation filed recently in Georgia that seeks to alter, correct, or restore (depending on one's point of view), the border between Georgia and Tennessee.
Here's the problem: The border was established in 1818, and was agreed upon at the 35th parallel. But anyone who possesses the right technology can clearly see that the border, as it is enforced, is not exactly on the 35th parallel. It's close — probably less than a mile — but it's just not right on the latitudinal line.
So, do East Ridge, St. Elmo, and the north end of Lookout Mountain really belong in Georgia? Well, maybe, but that's apparently not that big an issue.
At issue is the stretch of border along the south end of Marion County. Forget Hamilton, or Bradley, or Polk, or points west of Marion. It's all about Marion.
Why Marion County? Because the Tennessee River (aka Nickajack Lake), just north (east, really) of Nickajack Dam, bends ever-so-briefly southward over the 35th parallel and back. And, if the border between Tennessee and Georgia were (enforced) on the 35th parallel, that would mean that Georgia would have legal access to pump water out of the river and straight down to that giant siphon known as Atlanta. (Alabama, if I'm looking at my map right, would also have a claim in play here; but Alabama is currently not as thirsty. UPDATE: And, duh, Alabama can just get it downstream a ways. I guess my lobotomy went well.)
Those grey lines in the image capture from Google Earth™ (which is not, I know, a legal document) represent the state borders. The vertical line separates Alabama on the left from Georgia on the right. The horizontal line, which is also the 35th parallel, represents the border between each of those states and Tennessee.
While it is true that Governor Phil Bredesen hasn't issued a statement (to date) on the legislation that was filed this week, the Republican spokesman seems to be implying that Bredesen has been silent altogether on the issue, which is not the case. The governor has spoken out about not sending Tennessee's natural resources across state lines. To be fair, the state line wasn't in question (directly) at the time, so the assumption in Bredesen's remarks was that the resources exclusively belong to Tennessee.
This could get really interesting.
See also:
10,000 Monkeys and a Camera
gid
Chattanoogan.com
Chattanooga Times Free Press (plus AP)
Volunteer Voters (more links available there)
More..
Energy policy | By joe lance | 12:13 PM