Conservation overhaul now law

Some worry about environment amid push for projects.

Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law sweeping changes to the state’s Soil and Water Conservation Commission on Wednesday that he touted as a way to streamline environmental regulations to appeal to prospective employers.

The governor signed into law House Bill 397 with no fanfare. It shifts the commission from a standalone agency to one that’s overseen by the Department of Agriculture. It also gives the governor more leeway to appoint whomever he chooses to its board rather than limiting his picks to the elected supervisors of the state’s 40 soil and water districts.

The move comes weeks after the commission’s board fired its executive director, Brent Dykes, who said in his farewell letter that it “has become increasingly evident that it is time for someone else to lead this organization” who has more support from the board.

The agency drafts the state’s manual that outlines how to control ero- sion and prevent more dirt and runoff from seeping into Georgia’s waterways, and environmentalists worry that the changes could give Deal too much control over the commission.

Deal says the changes are crucial to recruiting new high-profile economic development pros- pects. He told the Georgia Farm Bureau in February that it would help straighten out “contradictory” environmental guidelines that he said could lead to litigation and threaten major deals.

“It’s bad policy,” he said then. “And it could risk the future of job growth in the state.”