Gov. Haslam jokingly suggests Tennessee trade river water for Atlanta Braves

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

photo Gov. Bill Haslam laughs in this file photo.

NASHVILLE - Georgia officials say they want access to Tennessee River water. Badly want it. Desperately want it.

So just how far would Peach State lawmakers be willing to go if it came down to a trade?

"We'll take the Atlanta Braves and they can have the water," Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam told Nashville Chamber of Commerce members in this morning.

Or maybe Sea Island, the governor suggested.

But before Georgians get too excited, the governor emphasized he was only joking.

"We're not actually going to trade them for our water," Haslam said.

Water-parched Georgia lawmakers this year once have again raised the long-disputed Tennessee-Georgia border question as they seek ways to satisfy the Atlanta area's need for water.

State lawmakers there recently passed a resolution pressing for negotiations with Tennessee with authority to go to the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the 19th century dispute if necessary.

Tennessee lawmakers have adopted the position that they'll just have to see their Georgia counterparts in court.