Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI) Executive Director Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman stood alongside Georgia Governor Brian Kemp earlier this week as Kemp signed House Bill 31 at the state capitol.  Known as the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund, the bill is a major win for CRBI. CRBI worked for many years with state legislators to make this moment possible.

HB 31 amends the Georgia constitution to allow hazardous waste funds to be dedicated to clean up abandoned hazardous sites and failing landfills. Introduced in the house by Rep Debbie Buckner, State Senator Chuck Hufstetler of Rome carried it in the Senate.

Since 1993, CRBI has advocated for the wise stewardship of the natural resources of the Upper Coosa River basin, or watershed, which stretches from southeastern Tennessee and north central Georgia to Weiss Dam in Northeast Alabama. This includes the Coosa River, the Etowah and Oostanaula rivers and the tributaries of these waterways like the Chattooga River in Chattooga County, and Cherokee County, Alabama.