The Atlanta

Regional Commission executive board has voted unanimously to treat a proposed

power plant on the south Fulton/Fayette border as a Development of Regional

Impact.

Meanwhile,

Fayette County's city and county officials are unanimous in asking for

a full environmental impact statement on the project.

Fayette County

Commission Chairman Greg Dunn asked for the ARC board's action at its

meeting Thursday, and said he was pleasantly surprised at the strong support

coming from several members of the board, including Cobb County's commission

chairman and chairman of the ARC board, Bill Byrne.

Williams Company

hopes to put a 1,230-megawatt power plant, to be known as the Fulton Energy

Center, on a 288-acre site on Peters Road, between Ga. highways 138 and

92. The firm's rezoning application will be heard by the Fulton County

Commission in September.

Several neighborhood

associations in north Fayette and south Fulton have banded together to

oppose the plan, saying the plant would be too close to their homes.

In a series

of informational meetings, residents and local officials like Dunn have

complained that the company hasn't been forthcoming with information,

though company officials say all the information simply isn't available

yet.

Williams spokeswoman

Paula Hall-Collins told The Citizen Tuesday that the company is working

on a series of environmental studies that should answer residents' concerns.

"Williams

is very sensitive to the concerns that each of the communities have voiced,"

said Hall-Collins. "It's important that the community have full information

on the project and the environmental process."

The firm has

delayed its rezoning request in order to make good on that promise, she

added.

Designating

the project a DRI means the company will be required to give more detailed

information, Dunn said following the ARC meeting. Dunn has been vocal

in his concern that the plant will present an air pollution problem for

Fayette and undue noise for its nearby neighbors.

"This

is just another attempt to get more and more information," he said.

"It puts a heavier burden on Williams to get accurate information

out."

Because the

project has been named a DRI, Williams will be asked to submit a variety

of detailed information to the ARC, and counties in the surrounding area

will be asked for comment as well. Also, the Georgia Regional Transportation

Authority also will be brought into the loop under new rules that require

its input on DRIs.

ARC will turn

its information and recommendations over to the state Department of Community

Affairs for its consideration.

In the past,

ARC has found 18 DRIs unacceptable, Dunn said, and although the planning

agency didn't stop those projects altogether, "It caused changes

in a lot of the projects" to make them more acceptable, he said.

Also, the Fayette

Association of County Governments voted unanimously to ask its member

city governments and the county to approve a resolution asking Fulton

County to require an environmental impact statement before the County

Commission decides on Williams' rezoning request.

The resolution

asks that the study be done by a company not connected with Williams in

any way. The resolution also will be sent to Union City, because a portion

of the project is within the city limits.

Again, Hall-Collins

said company officials believe the studies they are conducting will assuage

local concerns.

If further

studies are required, "We are going to do what is necessary and required,"

she said. "But it's our feeling the studies we're having done will

answer those questions."

She added the

company will conduct balloon tests this month to determine how visible

the plant will be to surrounding neighborhoods.

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