Proponents

and opponents of a huge power plant will have a little more time to study

the issue before it's voted on by the Fulton County Commission.

Williams Inc.

officials announced last week that a proposed decision on the issue will

not be brought before the Fulton County Commission until next March. The

issue was scheduled to be voted on in January, but Williams has compiled

more studies, and wants the public to have time to voice their opinions,

said company spokesman Paula Hall-Collins.

The company

wants to build a power plant on a 315-acre site on Peters Road in South

Fulton County and has caused a stir in Fulton and Fayette counties from

residents who don't want the site in their back yard.

But Hall-Collins

said the company has taken many of the residents' concerns into consideration

and changed some elements of the plan.

One of the

latest issues concerned a cemetery on the site.

Since the issue

was raised, Hall-Collins said the company has changed the footprint for

the site and decreased the size of the plant from 30 acres to 25 acres.

"We won't

disturb the cemetery at all," said Hall-Collins.

Other changes

include lowering the size of the stacks of the plant from 210 feet to

195 feet. She said the stacks were lowered so the company won't have to

place lights on top in keeping with FAA guidelines.

Any other lighting

at the site will be unobtrusive and aimed downward, she said.

"A lot

of power plants are lit up like Christmas trees. That's not our intent,"

she said.

Another concern

of residents is the noise level at the facility. The company has commissioned

new studies on noise levels and plans to reduce the noise levels even

further, she said.

But the biggest

concern many residents have broached is air pollution. Williams sought

out the opinion of Dr. P. Barry Ryan, an Emory professor who specializes

in environment and occupational health issues.

"Added

health risk from the Fulton Energy Center is likely to be so small that

one will not be able to measure it," he said.

Williams officials

also met with Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards last week. Edwards

said he thinks the company is working very hard on trying to change the

public's opinion and he is currently reviewing the information.

The commissioner

said a lot of his constituents want a full-blown environmental impact

study and he conveyed that information to the company officials.

Edwards said

the company's timing may be bad in trying to place a power plant in South

Fulton County.

"Folks

in South Fulton are changing their attitudes and saying they don't want

to be a dumping ground for environmental problems," he said.

He is impressed

the company is forthcoming with more information.

"If they

[Williams] don't supply the information, the other side will," he

said.

Williams officials

plan to stage public meetings with residents about their new studies within

the next few weeks.