Director's Page, Summer 2005

Many, myself included, were caught off guard by the rapid, well orchestrated effort to plan, fund and construct a new interstate highway through the Blue Ridge mountains. Rest assured that the Chattooga Conservancy will be working hard to beat this thing back. Doing so will be a tough task given the head start the other side has gained. To win, we will need the help of a dedicated constituency in executing a clear strategy. I have outlined an initial strategy in this Quarterly’s feature article on page 5. Here I would like to give a little more background on who I believe is at the heart of the plan to sacrifice our natural resources—that we all know are so important to everyone—for the benefit of a few short sighted politicians and the hungry corporations behind them.

Winning against superior forces begins with knowing the enemy. There is certainly more to learn, and here is what we know so far. The real "mover and shaker" behind the interstate effort tracks back to former Georgia Congressman Max Burns from Statesboro, which is near Savannah, Georgia. Elected in 2002 as a representative to the U.S. Congress from Georgia’s twelfth congressional district, it was Burns who first introduced legislation to construct the two new interstate highways into the Deep South that, when constructed, would greatly benefit his own constituents in Savannah. Burns was defeated in 2004, but has continued to work to promote plans to construct both interstate highways known as I-3 and I-14.

Burns re-emerged after his failed bid for the 109th Congress as senior policy advisor in Washington, D. C. based Thelen, Reid and Priest LLP, one of the biggest law firms in the United States. Thelen, Reid and Priest, with 440 lawyers from New York to San Francisco, is a powerful force in Washington, D.C., where the firm specializes in providing, "… superior legal services with a focus on complex commercial litigation; corporate and capital markets transactions; project asset finance; construction; labor and employment; intellectual property; domestic and international tax; employee benefits; government affairs; and real estate." In a news release on February 8th, 2005, the prestigious law firm announced the hiring of former Congressman Burns as a senior policy advisor for government affairs. His main job would be to "bolster the firm’s lobbying capabilities in the area of transportation, agriculture, infrastructure and construction." He would be expected to "offer Thelen Reid clients greater access to GOP lawmakers in congress, as well as to the administration."

Burns is well positioned to accomplish these goals. Not only does he have the experience, he has the intellect to go with it. In the 108th Congress Burns was elected president of the freshman class. He served on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and was a key player in promoting the Bush Administration’s national energy policy. Burns has a Ph.D. in business administration and was a Fulbright Scholar. He taught corporate information management in Sweden in 1993, served as a consultant to Gulfstream Aerospace and Grinnell Corporation, and helped develop the Supplier’s Network to connect Southeast Georgia’s small business suppliers to major manufacturers. He also served as a member of the Army Reserves from 1973-1981.

Burns has so far done his job well. According to Charlie Norwood, the Georgia Congressman who is the top promoter for the interstate, it is he and Burns who have recruited the other powerful politicians from across the South to support the interstate project, and are strategically positioned to get the job done. Heavy hitters like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and former Majority Leader Trent Lott are a part of a powerful political coalition supporting the proposed interstates. Several members of the coalition sit on key appropriations and transportation committees in their respective houses of the U.S. Congress. In Georgia, Burns was central in convincing the Georgia State Legislature to appropriate $100,000 to establish the Interstate Highway Development Association that, coincidentally, is based near Burns’ old congressional district in Statesboro, GA. The organization’s executive director, Allen Muldrew, is Burn’s former field director.

The record also shows where Burns’ driving force originates. Campaign contributions to Burns for both his bids for the U.S. Congress were heavy on the side of big corporations. Top contributors were Wal-Mart, Georgia Pacific and the real estate industry, among others. Now that he is with Thelen and Reid, he will no doubt represent a host of construction firms drooling over the estimated $50 billion for government contracts for the construction of both I-3 and I-14.

To be fair, I am sure there are those who will argue that former Congressman Burns has also expressed concerns for small business and the environment. So has George Bush, who has the worst environmental record and who is more closely connected to big business than any president in U.S. history. Burns, like Bush, certainly knows how to play the game.

Stopping I-3 will take a well researched argument against the case made by powerful special interests that now control the United States Congress. At the head of this beast are smart, well positioned strategists like Max Burns. Watching players like Burns will help us know where to aim.