ATLANTA — A southeast Georgia state representative has filed a bill attempting to force the state Environmental Protection Division to do what he says it should already be doing: respond more quickly and with more force to toxic spills in state rivers. Rep. Jon Burns, who represents Screven and Effingham counties and part of Bulloch County, testified in a subcommittee meeting at the Capitol earlier this month that the discharge of wastewater by Screven County textiles plant King America Finishing into the Ogeechee River is one of a number of similar situations across Georgia in which a significant spill or discharge was not met with a timely response by EPD. Burns, R-Newington, cited poor communication with local and state agencies, the need for additional specialized training and a general lack of governmental coordination as fundamental problems that have endangered water resources and public health. Residents from across the state tell remarkably similar stories about spills that devastated their river communities.