ATLANTA – State Representative Lynn Smith (R-Newnan) was recently elected Chair of the Energy & Environment Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC), the Southern Office of The Council of State Governments. Rep. Smith previously served as the committee’s vice chair for two years, and she is the first woman to be elected Chair of the SLC Energy & Environment Committee.
“I’m looking forward to serving as the chair of this important committee,” said Rep. Smith. “Our southern legislators exhibit true leadership in dealing with the serious issues involved in maintaining a safe environment, while also providing reliable, cost effective energy for our citizens. As chair, part of my role will be to share Georgia’s great story of its stewardship initiatives in the areas of energy and environment policies with our southern colleagues.”
As a part of its mission to encourage cooperation and the sharing of information and best practices among its 15 member states, the SLC met in Lexington, Kentucky for its 70th annual meeting. The meeting brought together over 1,200 legislators, legislative staff and guests from across the South.
As Chair of the SLC Energy & Environment Committee, one of six SLC standing committees, Rep. Smith will assist SLC staff in setting the projects and priorities of the committee over the next year, including the agenda for the 2017 SLC annual meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi.
At this year’s meeting, members of the Energy & Environment Committee met for various program sessions and examined issues related to the Clean Power Plan; the Clean Water Rule; cyber security and nuclear energy; and Supreme Court updates.
In addition to examining these topics, the Committee participated in a roundtable discussion on energy and environmental issues from the 2016 legislative sessions and toured the University of Kentucky’s Spindletop Research Farm.
The Energy & Environment Committee routinely examines clean water programs and water permitting, alternative energy, state compliance with federal clean air and water standards, the future for nuclear power, and hydraulic fracking in an attempt to forge policies that will ensure sound stewardship of the regions’ resources through panel discussions and presentations.
For more information on the Southern Legislative Conference, please click here.
Representative Lynn Smith represents the citizens of District 70, which includes portions of Carroll and Coweta counties. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 1996, and currently serves as the Chairman of the Natural Resources & Environment Committee. She also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government and the Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment and Rules committees.
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