Pins matching tag:GA

Georgia SB34 would have prohibited data center fuel generation and transmission costs from being included in residential electricity rates, requiring commercial data centers to cover all increased fuel, power, and transmission system upgrade costs. The bill emerged after the Public Service Commission authorized Georgia Power to expand production by nearly 10 GW — mostly for data centers — including new methane-burning facilities. The Senate avoided a final vote after a last-minute alternative measure based on House Bill 1063 appeared to have the votes to pass.

Multiple Georgia data center moratorium bills introduced in 2026 session. HB 1012 (Rep. Ruwa Romman) would bar counties and cities from issuing permits for new data centers until March 1, 2027, with exceptions for approvals issued before July 1, 2026. HB 1059 (Rep. Derrick Jackson) would establish a moratorium from July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028, and create a 14-member Data Center Impact Commission to conduct a three-year study with a final report due October 1, 2029. At least eight Georgia towns and counties have already passed local moratoriums. Industry opposition has been fierce, with a key bill stalling after a last-minute amendment found bipartisan support. HB 1012 stalled in the House Governmental Affairs Committee and did not cross over by the March 6 deadline, effectively killing it for the 2026 session. The moratorium provisions were not included in SB 410 which did pass.

Georgia HB 1059 (Rep. Derrick Jackson D-Tyrone) would have established a moratorium on new data center construction from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028, plus a 14-member Data Center Impact Commission. The bill failed to advance during the 2026 legislative session, which ended in early April with Georgia lawmakers passing NO data center bills despite months of debate. The General Assembly left intact ~$2.5B/year in data center tax breaks even after a state report estimated Georgia would miss out on $2.5B in tax revenue in 2026. With no statewide restrictions, county commissions and planning boards remain the front line of defense, and Democrats are reportedly viewing the failure as an electoral gift heading into November 2026. By April 15-18, 2026, advocates reported that around 20 bills aimed at the data center industry introduced during the 2026 Georgia legislative session all failed to pass after the Senate adjourned without action. Failed measures included HB 1012, SB 408, and SB 410, along with HB 1059 (the Data Center Impact Assessment and Development Moratorium Act of 2026). Georgia's data center sales-tax exemption (projected to cost the state $2.5 billion in FY 2026) remains in effect through 2032.

Requires electric utilities and new data centers (100+ MWH peak annual demand) to agree on contract terms that shield other power customers from construction and operation costs. Includes minimum billing requirements, performance/credit provisions, and termination protections. Passed Georgia House 159-5, now in Senate.

Georgia SB436 suspends new sales and use tax exemptions for data centers from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, and prohibits local governments from entering into nondisclosure agreements related to data center water and electricity usage. The bill is part of a wave of Georgia data center legislation in 2026 — the Senate also passed SB410 to outright end tax exemptions, while the House passed HB1063 (159-5) requiring data centers to pay down payments and sign longer contracts covering infrastructure costs. VERIFIED 2026-05-26: Georgia adjourned sine die Apr 3, 2026 with no data center regulation enacted; SB 436 (suspend tax exemptions + ban NDAs) died in Senate Finance and HB 1063 died in the Senate after crossover.