Mansfield, a city of 600 people about 40 miles east of Atlanta in Newton County is trying to impose limits on the condemnation powers of the Georgia Transmission Corp. (GTC), which has bulldozers that are already carving out a 100-foot right of way for high-voltage lines slated to pass through 14 acres of woodlands owned by the city and at least one of its historic neighborhoods. The Court of Appeals issued an emergency stay after a Newton County Superior Court judge sided with GTC and allowed condemnation proceedings to go forward.GTC, in turn, has gone back to the Newton County judge, asking him to order the city to post a $1 million bond until the case is decided. McDonald. Online Athens 19 November 2012
