This petition seeks to permanently block clearcutting of trees and vegetation in Georgia on land surrounding advertising billboards.
Advertisers and their lobbyists pushed bills since 2007 in the Georgia legislature to permit clearing of up to 11 acres of vegetation around EACH billboard in Georgia, causing the loss of thousands of acreage of trees, bushes, and shrubs throughout the state. The bills did not pass the legislature in 2007 and were defeated, but the issue is not gone and it will likely resurface again in upcoming legislative session.
Georgia's trees need protection from Rep. Carl Rogers, (R-Gainesville), an insurance agent and one of the 2007 bill's main sponsors, who thinks that "the billboard industry needs relief from current rules that protect trees at the expense of the economy."
Show him how misguided and incorrect this position really is - for Georgia and for the world.
2009 updated information here:
http://dicksworld.wordpress.com/2009/03/08/i-think-that-i-shall-never-see-a-billboard-as-lovely-as-a-tree/In addition to signing onto this petition, please also post a comment about this issue directly to Governor Perdue by clicking here:
http://www.gov.state.ga.us/contact_dom.shtmlNews Note: Governor Perdue saw and acknowledged this petition (in a letter addressed to me) in 2008 and is aware there is opposition; please don't forget to thank him for acknowledging this petition and listening to the voices of dissent.
SIGN TODAY!
We, the Undersigned:
Call upon the Honorable Governor of Georgia, Sonny Perdue, to VETO Georgia House Bills/Senate Bills should it pass the state legislature in 2009 or 2010. We do not agree that the advertising industry should pursue aggressive advertising at the expense of the environment, claiming this industry (or any other) is in any way suffering from the present controls, or that their commerce is interrupted in any way. We further call upon those supporting these claims to immediately submit scientific evidence to support their assertions, or otherwise withdraw these bills from legislative consideration.
