Peachtree City founder Joel Cowan has been named to yet another governor-appointed special committee or authority.

Previously tapped to chair the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, which has been given sweeping power over local transportation planning, Cowan has now been appointed to Gov. Roy Barnes' new Green Space Study Committee.

The committee will make recommendations for implementing the governor's plan for fast developing counties like Fayette to set aside 20 percent of their undeveloped land.

“Preserving green space is essential to maintaining our quality of life,” Barnes said. “I look forward to working with the Department of Natural Resources and the members of this committee to make sure we act before it's too late.”

The committee will be chaired by Clay Long, chairman of the board of the Georgia Conservancy and a partner in the Atlanta law firm of Long, Aldridge and Norman.

The other members of the committee are:

Patricia Allen - former president of the Nature Conservancy, Atlanta; Tom Bradbury - chairman and CEO, Colony Homes Management Corp., Woodstock; Tim Connolly - investor, Capstan Capital, Lawrenceville; Al Crace - manager, Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Athens; Glenn Farley - executive vice president, Tucker Federal Bank, Tucker; Michael Hightower - Fulton County commissioner, Atlanta; Pierre Howard - former lieutenant governor and partner, Special Corporate Strategies, Atlanta; Charles Johnson - president and COO, Williams, Russell and Johnson, Atlanta; Rick Porter - president and CEO, Ridgeport Properties, Tucker; Julie McCormick Roth - vice president, Bob's Candies, Albany; Pam Sessions - president, Hedgewood Properties, Cumming.